Kitty Love
by epcot97
Summary: After Chat Noir's unexpected rooftop visit, Marinette realizes how heartsick her kitty is for his partner. Against her better judgement, she decides to try and convince him to look elsewhere for love, but in the process, gets far more than she bargained for.
1. Cool Brushoff

**One: Cool Brushoff**

_Author's Note: If you've followed me for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of Chat and tend to tell most of my stories from his perspective. But recently, I had a PM asking me if there was a backstory to how Chat and Marinette became the couple that moved in together (as seen in my series, _Roommates_). As with most things, I did have a sense of how it came together for them but realized there was a tiny sliver of a story I could tell to get the two of them together – to start the Marichat train, as it were._

_As if that wasn't enough of a challenge, the more I started to think about the story, I found myself seeing the scenes through Marinette's eyes, and thought maybe – for this story – it would be fun to watch the relationship evolve from her perspective. This is something new for me, so hopefully I can pull it off. Enjoy… -ep_

* * *

Curled up against my cat pillow, I tried to ignore whatever it was Tikki was trying to say, my eyes rising to the photos I'd clipped and posted to the wall just above my bed. Adrien smiled back at me in all of them, though of course, he was actually looking at the camera; still, it brought a slight smile to my face to think maybe that shadow of an expression was one he shared only for me. I put a hand up to one of them, and felt the depression wash over once again.

He was supposed to have been there tonight. Alya had assured me Adrien had cleared it with his father, but when he didn't appear, I was crushed more than I'd anticipated. I knew Tikki, in her own way, was gently attempting to council me, for I'd had a typical Marinette meltdown in front of my friends and the very friendly ice cream maker, Andre. In other words, I'd made quite a mess of what was supposed to have been a fantastic outing with my friends.

Oh, as nice as Andre had been, his stupid insistence that there was something magical about his ice cream had been the final straw. I'd run from the bridge all the way back to my home, fighting back the tears and the fear that I had missed a chance to make an impression on Adrien.

Still ignoring my kwami, I pushed up from my bed and through the skylight, then walked to the edge of the rooftop. The evening was pleasantly warm, and as I leaned on the railing, I saw Notre Dame with all of her lights but really didn't see it. Bleakly, I found myself wondering if I'd ever get any better at this whole love thing. From the moment Adrien had walked into our classroom, he was never far from my thoughts – even when I was out fighting off Hawkmoth as Ladybug. That brought a bit of smile, for I'd had a few occasions to get close to him as my alter-ego; unfortunately, he'd no idea who was under the mask.

I sighed again, my eyes finally seeing the grand cathedral in front of me. Silently, I asked her if she could send me a sign – any sign – that there was a smidgen of a chance with Adrien. I waited a heartbeat or two and shook my head, convinced the universe was stacked against me and My One True Love.

Just as I was giving up, I heard a rubbery thump behind and above me. "Hello," came a plaintive voice that I immediately recognized.

I turned, eyes widening, and saw my partner sitting atop one of the two chimneys of our Bakery. "Chat Noir?" I said, shocked.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said.

"No – no!" I said. "I was just lost in my thoughts. Sorry." I looked at him, and even from where I was standing, could tell he was not his normal ebullient self – or, at least, the version of his ebullient self that he saved for Ladybug. That worried me for a split second before I remembered Chat had invited me (well, Ladybug) to hang out that same evening… and while I'd not exactly said _no_, I'd not committed to going, either – especially since I'd really been looking forward to seeing Adrien.

Which I hadn't. Suddenly, I knew exactly what Chat was feeling.

"Uh, don't you have, like, super-hero-y things to do?"

"Not really," he said in a desultory fashion, hanging his head. His hair fell forward and partly covered those wide feline eyes of his. "And to be honest, I'm not feeling much like being a superhero tonight."

He looked back up and directly at me. "And… I really don't want to be alone tonight. Do you… mind… if I hang out a bit? I could use a friend."

Still somewhat dumbfounded, I just nodded.

Chat leapt down from the chimney to the railing beside me, and perched along the thin wrought iron, completely defying gravity with so little effort I wondered if I could do that myself. "Marinette, isn't it?" he asked. "I think we've bumped into each other a time or two."

"All the time – I mean, yeah, a few times!" I said, a bit flustered. If we kept up this banter much longer, I might reveal more than I should. I blinked, for Chat had been saying something.

"…surprise for Ladybug tonight," he said sadly. "But she didn't show," he added with a sigh. "I guess I'm not very lucky in love."

My eyes snapped wide open. Up until that very moment, I'd written off all of Chat's flirting with me as just that – part of his act when he was working by my side. But now, seeing him there on my railing, the full force of his feelings for my alter-ego hit me. For the first time, it dawned on me that he _really_ thought he loved Ladybug.

In pursing my evening with Adrien, I'd inadvertently hurt my partner.

Unsure of how to respond, I simply turned and silently watched the moon with him, trying to ignore the way his tail was twisting. I'd long known it telegraphed his feelings, and tonight, each flick cut me to the core. "I guess that makes two of us," I said quietly.

Forgetting Chat's superior feline hearing, I saw him turn toward me. "You… you've had your heart broken, too?"

"Yeah," I replied.

Before I realized what was happening, Chat had swiftly slid off the railing to stand next to me, his paw stretched to me. "Come with me," he said with a smile.

Unsure of what he was about, I smiled slightly and nodded as I took his paw. Gently, he wrapped his arm around me and lifted me off the tile. "Close your eyes," he said, "and hold on tight."

Nodding again, I did as instructed. Chat leapt up and away, and I felt the wind in my hair as he moved through the night. I'd never been this close to him – I mean, I'd fought side-by-side with Chat multiple times, but he'd never _held_ me before. I could feel that his costume had a bit of a texture to it, much as mine did; what was more embarrassing for me, perhaps, was that the muscles I'd been ignoring up to now were very real and _very_ solid beneath me.

Chat made one final leap and then very, very gently put me down. "One moment," he said, a smile in his voice. After a few heartbeats, I finally heard: "Okay! You can open your eyes."

Slowly, I opened my eyes and then swallowed in amazement. "Chat…!" I said, astonished.

We'd landed on a small rooftop that paralleled the river, with Notre Dame off in the distance. Small candles were flickering along the wrought iron railing and in a few stands; hundreds of rose petals had been spread along the roof tile, with several bouquets tied here and there along the railing. Two sets of comfortable looking pillows in pinks and reds were in the exact center. "Chat… this is beautiful!" I breathed, turning toward him.

He was leaning over the rail facing away from the river, his back to me and his tail twisting more. "I know she said she might not make it, but I had hoped…" he trailed off, looking up at the sky.

"Maybe she… maybe she got busy?" I suggested, knowing it was as far from the truth as it could have been. Standing there, seeing what he had done for Ladybug – for me, really – drove home just how real his feelings were. I truly had no idea, and felt even worse now for standing him up.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," he said, with a trace of humor.

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean—"

There was a whistle through the air, and I turned to see a giant glob of something heading toward Chat. "Look out!" I cried as I started to leap in front of him.

Shifting completely into superhero mode, Chat leapt over me and had already spun up his baton into shield mode, deflecting multiple bursts of… something… away. "Get behind me," he commanded.

I started to object – normally I was the one barking out orders – but then I remembered who I was at the moment and ducked behind his protective bulk. He fended off a few more bursts before unceremoniously grabbing me and leaping away from the rooftop.

"What is that?" he asked, voice full of wonder as we crouched together behind a brick wall.

I poked my head around him and grimaced, for standing more than several stories tall was a snowmanesque akuma, spouting the same sort of poetry Andre had been using earlier. "It's Andre," I said, sagging as I realized I'd likely created this one with my teensy-tiny temper tantrum hours earlier.

"The sweethearts ice cream maker?" Chat said, looking between me and the giant snowman. "He's not looking very sweet at the moment."

At that moment, Andre started to sing out. "Where are you Marinette…?" he sang. Mortified, I tried hard to shrink behind Chat.

He turned toward me, partial smile on his face. "Don't tell me – this is _another_ akuma that is in love with you?"

I shrugged while seriously trying to figure out how to get away from Chat so I could transform. As I started to say something, Chat grabbed me again and we started to run along the side of the building, narrowly avoiding what I now knew were giant scoops of ice cream Andre was hurling at us. On the street below, I realized what I had originally thought were more of the same were people-shaped, immediately telling me it would be best to keep the ice cream from touching us. I also wondered what it might mean if those people-shaped globs melted completely before we were able to stop Andre, and shuddered slightly at the thought.

Faster than I thought possible, we were back on the Bakery's rooftop. "Hide, Marinette," Chat said as he put me down in front of the skylight. He turned to leap away and I caught him by the tail.

"Chat," I said, "be careful."

He smirked at me, the first Chat-like expression I'd seen from him all evening. "I just need to distract him until Ladybug gets here," he laughed. "But seriously? Stay hidden. I'll check on you later."

I nodded as I ostensibly started down the ladder to my room. In a blur of black fabric, Chat leapt away from me and toward the giant snowman; as he sailed through the sky, I heard him immediately start throwing bad puns at the akuma. For the first time, it warmed my heart to hear them, though I wasn't entirely sure why.

"I've never seen the softer side of Chat before," my kwami said softly as she floated next to me.

"No," I replied thoughtfully. This was a different view of my partner, one that I'd never expected to see in a million years. For now, I set my thoughts aside so I could focus on the problem at hand. "Tikki – spots on!"

Once the red wave of transformation washed over me, I lassoed my yo-yo to a nearby building and set out after my partner.


	2. Second Chances

**Two: Second Chances**

I managed to get back to the Bakery just ahead of Chat, and had barely dropped my transformation when he knocked gently on the skylight.

"Marinette? It's safe – you can come out," he said.

Hovering as I was on the ladder just below the door, I paused a moment so I could catch my breath before pushing up. Since I was supposed to have been "hiding" it wouldn't do to seem breathless. Chat's concerned visage greeted me, and melted into a genuine smile when he saw I was fine. "Good," he nodded. "No worse for wear, I see?" he laughed.

"No," I grinned. "But it might be a bit before I have another ice cream cone."

"I don't blame you," he smiled wider before he suddenly looked to his chirping ring.

_Oh no!_ I thought. _He came straight here before feeding his kwami!_

"What's wrong?" I asked innocently as he looked back at me.

"Nothing," he lied. "I just need to go. I'm glad you're fine."

"Okay," I replied. As he turned to go, I impulsively called out. "Chat?"

He turned back just as his fourth pad went away on his ring. Smiling to hide his tension at the ticking time bomb, he arched a masked eyebrow questioningly.

"Come back any time," I said. "You are always welcome. I might even feed you."

The other masked eyebrow rose. "Careful, Marinette," he said, a sly smile on his face. "You have no idea how many calories a feline goes through in a day."

"No," I laughed, "I suppose I don't. You'll have to… educate me."

Chat nodded and then disappeared into the night, tail flapping as he rolled over the railing.

Tikki floated up from my purse. "Marinette," she said cautiously, "what are you doing?"

"I'm not sure, Tikki," I replied. "I think I hurt him pretty badly tonight. Maybe I can make it up to him in some way."

"By inviting him _here_?" she asked.

"Yeah," I nodded as we moved back into the bedroom. "I think there is a very lonely boy underneath that mask, Tikki," I added. "Who else could lend him a friendly ear from time to time? I can't imagine he has many people he can turn to."

As often happened, I was too keyed up from the akuma attack for sleep, so I slid behind my sewing desk and mindlessly started working on a shirt. It didn't hurt that I'd also found my stamina had improved since becoming Ladybug; I wasn't sure if that was normal to bugs in general, but the extra energy had definitely come in handy. I was choosing to ignore the eventual crash that also seemed to follow the bonus energy; as I added a decorative filigree to the edge of the cloth, I found myself wondering for the first time if Chat had seen any side effects from wielding his Miraculous.

I paused before flipping the shirt, realizing that outside of fighting akumas, we really hadn't had many casual moments together. Chat had said as much after we'd rescued that city bus earlier in the day, but I'd laughed it off as yet another cheesy pickup line. I looked up at Tikki, who had taken up her traditional position atop the sewing machine. For some reason, despite all she had seen in her lifetime, the magic of the bobbin going up and down enthralled her. "Tikki," I started, "are you thinking it's a bad idea for me to get to know Chat better?"

My kwami shifted her round eyes toward me. "No," she said slowly, "not entirely. The holders of the Cat and Bug Miraculouses have to work together, and it can be helpful for them to have more of a connection." She paused, blinking slightly. "To a point."

I nodded. "My Golden Rule," I said, thinking I knew what she meant.

"Not entirely," Tikki said as she swooped down to me. "It _is_ important that the two of you maintain your secret identities," she said. "Especially as a way to protect both you and those you love. But it's not an absolute."

I looked at her. "I don't follow," I said as I clipped the end of the thread.

She looked at me fondly. "There will come a time when it's no longer necessary for you to hide yourself, your _true_self, from Chat. You have enough on your respective plates with the responsibilities that come with being a Miraculous holder; the added burden of protecting your partner's secret is not something either of you are prepared to deal with at the moment."

Starting up the sewing machine again, I nodded. "But at some point, we will?"

"Yes," Tikki said with what I thought was a hint of glee. "Many of my previous holders have had long and wonderful relationships with the holder of the Cat."

I paused my sewing. "How serious?" I asked.

"The relationships?" Tikki smiled. "It depends on the holders," was all she would say before she returned to the top of the machine.

"So you're saying I _shouldn't_ hang out with Chat?"

Tikki sighed. "I advise caution," she said. "If you can be Marinette with him, and not give away the fact that you are also Ladybug, and _truly_ feel you can hold that back from him – no matter what – then go ahead. But remember he has a heart, too."

"That's an odd thing to say," I remarked, looking at my kwami directly.

"I'll put it this way," she said. "You love Adrien, right?"

My eyes flicked up to the wall of photos above my bed. "Yes," I said.

"Well, Chat loves Ladybug. All I'm saying is you should be careful with his heart, Marinette."

Feeling like I was running out of steam – physically and mentally – I turned off the sewing machine and changed for bed. Still, sleep didn't come as easily for me as my kwami, who snuggled in beside me and was softly snoring within moments. I couldn't very well go back on my offer at this point, nor did I have any official way to contact Chat, either. I decided to just play out the next few days and see if he appeared on my doorstep.

To my surprise, the very next evening I heard a rubbery thump on the rooftop above my bedroom as I worked through some particularly thorny chemistry problems. Thinking I knew what the sound foretold, I was halfway to the ladder when Chat gently tapped his claws three times on the skylight. "Marinette?" he called out softly.

Smiling at the tentativeness of his actions, I pushed through the door to find his anxious masked face waiting; it relaxed a bit when he saw me. "Hey," he said somewhat self-consciously. "I know you said I could stop by anytime…"

"So I did," I smiled. This was a completely different version of Chat; he was nearly embarrassed, if the slight flush on his cheeks was any kind of indication. "What brings the Black Cat to my patio tonight?"

"No particular reason," he replied as folded himself into his seated cat stance. Those wide feline eyes danced with a bit of merriment, though, as he added: "Save for the purromise of food."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes; I was well acquainted with the seemingly endless appetite I had gained by becoming Ladybug; it took a lot of calories to pull off being a superhero. Given how svelte my partner was, he likely had the same issue. I blinked, though, as I realized I had (yet again) started to catalog the muscles that had become more prominent over the short time he'd been Chat.

I blinked again, and this time, Chat had a smile to match the merriment in his eyes. "Marinette?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said, fumbling for a response and knowing _I was gawking at how form fitting your costume is_ wouldn't be close to appropriate. "You caught me doing chemistry, and my brain is a bit fuzzy."

For some reason, I'd not completely realized the feline ears he wore moved just like his tail did; at my mention of chemistry, they'd straightened up in surprise. "Are you… having trouble?" he asked carefully. "As it happens, I meowt be able to help."

Something clicked for me, and I nodded. "A trade then," I decided. "Some tutoring for a pastry or two?"

He held his paw to his chest and acted offended. "I'm only worth two pastries?" he asked in mock outrage, but his masked eyes were narrowed in humor. "I'll have you know, I've saved Paris more than once…"

"Let's just see how good your help is first, shall we?" I said. "Wait here and I'll get my notebook."


	3. Comfortable Familiarity

**Three: Comfortable Familiarity**

We fell into something of a pattern after that first evening of what Alya had decided to call the Glaciator akuma. I'm not sure I'd heard Andre refer to himself as that when he'd been akumatized, but arguing the point with my best friend was dangerous given my direct involvement. She was already too smart by half, and I was constantly having to find ways to throw her off my scent, though I feared she would be likely to learn my true identity long before Chat would. Which was saying something.

Initially, every few evenings Chat would make an appearance at the Bakery. It was highly irregular – almost as if he were testing his ability to get away from wherever he lived undetected – and never on nights when he'd been called to duty with me as Ladybug. I assumed the latter was likely due to more mundane matters such as trying to catch up on homework that Hawkmoth had courteously interrupted. For me, it was always a struggle to balance out the demands of school and being a superhero; it hadn't helped that I'd managed to get elected Class President and therefore had all that came with it on my schedule, too.

Then again, Adrien seemed to have as jam packed a schedule as I did, yet never seemed to have an issue turning in assignments on time or being there for projects we were working on together. On top of it all, he never appeared to be tired, either – at least until very recently. The past few weeks he'd actually looked rather exhausted, going as far as yawning during our first period. He'd even started to drink coffee, something he'd flatly told Nino he'd never consider doing just a few months earlier.

As irregular as Chat was, I generally could count on hearing his rubbery-soled boots on my chimney most Friday nights. It confirmed for me that he didn't have friends he could hang with at the end of a long school week; though I did, I began to keep that evening free, and he seemed to almost sense I had done it. To be honest, I was making an assumption that he was about my age; given that he knew a lot about the particular subjects I was currently studying also seemed to be an indicator he was in the same grade, too, though he was pretty vague about where he might be attending school (if at all). That last part pleased me, for it meant he was taking his promise to Ladybug about not revealing himself seriously.

Tikki had begun to tease me each Friday, knowing somehow that I was looking forward to seeing Chat. It might have been the extra effort I'd begun to put into making sure my hair was just so, or the fact that she'd caught me baking extra goodies on Thursdays (Chat seemed to have a thing for Belgian Chocolate-filled croissants, which were only marginally easier to make than the macaroons I did for Adrien). I'd tried to deflect her assertions, but in truth I did enjoy the time I was spending with him.

Two months after Glaciator, I found myself sketching under the lights on the rooftop patio on a Friday evening that had the same sort of magnificent full moon we had enjoyed together that first night he'd stopped by. I was watching the moonlight sparkle along the river when the telltale _thump_ issued above and behind me.

"Good evening, Princess," he said lightly as I turned to see him perched atop the chimney flue. Ever the gentlemen, he always waited for me to invite him down, though he invariably had his head cocked just so in anticipation of my assent.

"Princess?" I asked, quizzically. It was the first time he'd called me that, though by now, I was used to his affectionate _Milady_ for my alter-ego. I wondered if it was significant that he'd continued to reserve that for Ladybug.

Chat smiled at me, a warm affair and one that I only saw as Marinette. "It struck me just now as I was approaching," he explained happily. "Seeing you here, in your tower, looking across the city that adores you." He smiled wider. "It just fits."

"I'm not royalty," I laughed as I waved him down.

"To some you are," he said as he vaulted down to perch on his now-customary railing. "Or so I hear," he added, flushing slightly.

"Do you now," I teased, and was rewarded by seeing his face go a deeper shade of crimson.

Coughing slightly, he changed tactics and zeroed in on the plate I had partially hidden beneath a napkin on the small table beside my chair. "Are those what I think I'm smelling?" he asked.

"Tell me true," I replied. "How far away can you smell my baking?"

"Two to three kilometers, if the wind is right," he answered immediately.

My eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Nodding solemnly, he continued. "Most of my senses are enhanced as Chat. It took me a long time to learn how to categorize the notes I can detect, but I have the hang of it now."

A thought struck me. "What else can you smell?"

The flush deepened more. "I… uh… can smell you, too."

Chat looked so embarrassed I wanted to burst into giggles; commanding a little of my Ladybug persona, I kept my face impassive. "Really," I said. "And what do _I_ smell like?"

I didn't think it was possible for him to turn any more crimson. "Uh…" he said, looking away for a moment. Very, very quietly, he replied: "Vanilla, exotic spices. A touch of cinnamon."

The revelation floored me. "You can smell _all_ of that?"

He nodded as he looked back at me. Given how many akumas he had fought beside me, I was flummoxed by the look of apprehension he was wearing. "I'm so sorry," he said softly. "That's kind of personal – and I don't want to freak you out. I don't go around sniffing for you – I mean, well, sure, to see if you're home – but it's not like I follow you around Paris or anything –"

"Chat, it's fine," I said, finally smiling slightly to defuse his rambling. "I trust you," I added, smiling wider.

He looked at me, hard, and started to breathe again. "Cool," he said with a shy smile – again, almost the antithesis of the Chat I saw as Ladybug.

Or was it? I'd spent enough time with him as Marinette now that I could easily tell that most of the Chat I saw as Ladybug was really him. Sure, he at times annoyed me, but I had no doubt now that he truly, deeply cared for me. Well, Ladybug.

And now, perhaps, also Marinette.

Pushing back a stray hair, I smiled a bit wider. "Here," I said, leaning down and pulling the napkin off the croissants. "Please, enjoy."

Chat slid off the railing and carefully accepted one of my pastries and the napkin I handed him, then leaned his back against the wrought iron as he took a huge bite. I watched in fascination as he closed his masked eyes in apparent bliss, and wondered if he'd actually start purring. "This is amazing," he said around his mouthful. "I wish I could describe how it tastes," he added as he shoveled the back half of the croissant into his mouth.

"Another?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

Faster than I thought possible, his paw snagged a second which to his credit he ate a bit slower (as in three bites instead of two). "Thanks," he said as he brushed a few crumbs from the front of his costume.

"I'm a bit worried you don't eat enough at home," I said, staring at the empty plate and the last croissant still in my hands. I handed it to him.

He looked a bit chagrined as he accepted the final gift. "I don't," he admitted. "I'm on a rather strict diet; it's hard for me to explain why I'm always hungry aside from the usual 'growing teen' excuse."

"Ah," I said. Tikki seemed to have an opinion on the matter and had moved abruptly in my purse, which startled me into a small gasp.

Chat was instantly at my side, holding my arm. "Mari? What's wrong?"

"Bug," I said (somewhat honestly) and waved my hands as if I were shooing one away. "It just startled me, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

This close to him, my eyes travelled to those insanely cute ears perched atop his wild blond mane. "Yes," I said, but he'd caught my gaze.

"They're not real," he laughed, "in case you're wondering."

"But they move!" I said.

"Well, they're like my tail," he said as he took a step backwards and retrieved his tail. "I mean, I do hear differently, and they react to my feelings." He saw I was still staring at them and rolled his eyes. "Go ahead, then."

"What?" I asked, suddenly feeling like the self-conscious version of me I was when around Adrien. "I don't know—"

"Just be gentle, please," he laughed. "It does hurt when they are tugged. That spider tried to pull them off a while back," he explained, shuddering. "I still have nightmares."

"About her removing your ears?"

"No. Spiders that are willing to eat cats." He paused. "And sticky webs."

Carefully, I reached up and touched the tip of his ear; much like a real cat, it flicked a bit and he laughed. "Sorry," he said. "I guess they _are_ a bit more real than they appear – I don't always control them."

Fascinated, I tried again and felt the fabric that comprised his right feline ear. It was nearly identical to his costume and yet felt as vibrant and as alive beneath my touch as if it were truly an ear. "Chat," I asked carefully, "how sensitive are these?"

"Very," he replied. "I can hear—"

"No, I mean _sensitive_," I corrected. To explain myself further, I gently ran my finger along the back of his feline ear.

"Wha-wha—" he spluttered before he squeezed his eyes shut. "Holy kwami," he breathed. "How…?"

I tried not to laugh for he'd flushed deeply with embarrassment. "We had a cat when I was younger," I explained. "She used to love it when we rubbed an ear or scratched just behind it." Shrugging, I added, "I figured if you were really a cat…"

His masked eyes widened. "I am," he replied. "I just didn't realize how much of one I was becoming."

Smiling, I pulled my hand back. "Maybe you're spending too much time as Chat, Chat," I observed.

He took on a pensive air. "Maybe," he agreed. "There are times when I wonder if my ring is like the one in _The Hobbit_," he continued. "I worry that the more I use it, the more I'll _want_ to use it."

"Why?"

Chat sighed. "This—" he waved a paw at his costume, but I took it to mean his transformed persona in general, "—allows me to be _me_, if that makes any sense at all. Or the _me_ I can't show anyone."

My eyes widened. Chat had never divulged that to Ladybug.

"So there's sort of a built-in inducement for me to find reasons to become Chat," he said simply. "Or, once I'm Chat, to… stay transformed, as long as I can."

As Ladybug, I'd repeatedly laid down the law with respect to our superhero personas – the two of us should do what was needed to save the day and no more. I viewed it as a professional obligation, though admittedly, not one that was easy to pack up and put away each evening. Explaining my feelings on the matter to Chat had been a challenge, and while he'd chafed at the rules I'd expected him to follow, I'd assumed he'd been following them just the same.

Alya had caught him out and about a few times, but the posts on her blog were few and far between making me realize he'd gotten good at the stealthy part of his job description. Hearing Chat admit, though, that he sought out excuses to, essentially, escape his civilian life gave me pause – and made me wonder just how much more frequently he'd been out prowling the Parisian night without Ladybug.

It also dawned on me that as Marinette, by giving him an open invitation to visit, I'd inadvertently encouraged him to break the rule I'd set as Ladybug even more.

By rights, I should have been upset, but this was the first time I'd heard him actually explain _why_. It was a bit sobering to hear it and deflated any anger I might have felt. "How often are you out and about? As Chat?" I asked.

"More nights than not," he grinned sheepishly. "You don't have a secret hotline to Ladybug, do you?" he asked. "She'd not be very happy to know how much time I spend as Chat."

Startled by the question, I felt my face flame. "Me?" I stammered. "Hah, that's funny! I bet Alya does, though…"

"Good point," he laughed. "Those photos she gets of my partner are excellent," he added as an aside.

"Are they?" I said a bit too quickly. "I hadn't noticed."


	4. A Bump in the Road

**Four: A Bump in the Road**

Long after Chat left that evening, I was still lying awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Tikki was beside me on my pillow and I knew from her movements that she was similarly awake. In some ways, having her with me each night was like an ongoing girls slumber party; despite her diminutive size, though, she carried such a presence that telling her I thought along those lines felt like the wrong call. Still, it was nice to have her with me nearly every minute of every day, especially since she was the only one who truly understood what I was going through.

"Tell me what you're thinking," Tikki's sweet voice said softly after a bit.

"I'm worried," I said, turning toward her on the pillow. "Chat told me some things tonight that are really bothering me."

In the semi-darkness of my room, I saw the moonlight reflect off my kwami's round eyes. "Like the fact he stays transformed way too much?" she asked.

"Partly," I smiled, "but if his civilian life is as awful as he was alluding, I'm not sure I have any right to complain."

Tikki was quiet for a long moment, then added: "It is."

That made me prop myself up on an elbow. "How do you know that?"

Tikki paused even longer this time; I could see that she was debating something. Sighing, she spoke. "We kwamis are able to more or less stay in contact," she said.

"Really?" I asked. "What, do you have some sort of mystical connection to each other?"

"Yes," Tikki laughed. "But email is far easier."

"You… email other kwamis?"

"Only Chat's," Tikki said. "It took me a long time to convince Plagg to use email, too. He's a bit of a luddite when it comes to technology."

"Wait…" I said, my head suddenly spinning. "You know how to use email?"

"Of course I do," Tikki said with merriment. "Why is that so hard to accept?"

"I'm not sure," I said honestly. "So, what did Plagg tell you?"

"Well, I can't go into details, obviously. But Chat's family is… not like yours, exactly." Tikki paused, clearly carefully considering her words. "There are certain expectations for Chat's alter-ego, and pressures to conform that are not easy to accept." She took a moment, then continued. "Chat is one of the best holders Plagg has ever had, and that is _despite_ the challenges he faces at home."

I felt my jaw drop. "Chat's never mentioned any of that," I said. "Tonight was the first indication I'd gotten of just how important to him _being_ Chat was."

Tikki laughed her melodic laugh. "Marinette, Chat's tried to tell you a number of times in his own way. And not just verbally – it's in his actions, too."

I thought about that for a moment. "That's really him, isn't it?"

"Chat's persona? Yes," Tikki said. "Wholeheartedly."

"Do I know him? His civilian self?"

"I don't know," Tikki answered honestly. "Plagg can't tell me who his holder is, much like I can't tell him who mine is."

"Huh," I said.

"Get some rest, Marinette," Tikki said, smiling.

"Thank God it's the weekend," I laughed as I rolled over. "That cat has kept me up late every night this week."

For some reason, that happy thought was enough to allow me to finally drift off to sleep.

Seeing as it _was_ Saturday, I slept in and then caught up on some of my favorite streaming shows in my pajamas; I was halfway through a particularly epic episode of _Outlander_ when I was startled by a tapping at my skylight.

Realizing I was, actually, still in my pajamas, I panicked, upending my plate of half-eaten fruit and pastries all over my desk and on the floor. Tikki appeared and tried to help me get some of the fruit back onto the plate, but I was on my hands and knees trying to retrieve the last of the granola that had lodged itself in a far corner when the taps came again.

"Marinette?" I heard. "Are you okay?"

Groaning, I realized Chat had likely heard the plate upend. "Yes!" I shouted, louder and harsher than I needed to.

There was a long pause. "I'll swing back later," came the muffled reply. "Sorry…"

Hearing his rubbery boots as they moved across the roof, I tried to stand to stop him and succeeded in ramming my head into the underside of my desk. It hurt enough that I said a few very un-ladylike phrases as I slumped back down, rubbing my head as my vision swam with stars.

Squeezing my eyes shut against the throbbing pain, it took me a moment to realize I was being moved. Cracking open an eye, I found myself sitting on my couch with a very concerned black cat perched next to me. "That might leave a mark," he said with a trace of a grin. "You want me to get some ice?"

"You heard it?" I asked, squeezing my eyes shut again.

"Yeah," he replied, and I could hear the wincing in his voice. He paused for a moment, cocking his head and flicking his feline ears. "Apparently, so did your parents," he said quickly. He slid off the couch but paused at the edge. "Uh, if I'm here when they come up, will your parents…?

I thought about that for a moment. Chat had come frequently enough now that my parents had accepted him as just one of my friends, albeit of the superhero variety and one who normally only appeared on the rooftop patio. While they respected my privacy, having him appear in my bedroom unannounced might stretch things a bit.

"Front door," I said between throbs.

I felt Chat lean down and press a paw to my head. "Yikes," he said. "I'll be right back."

As stealthily as he could move, I barely heard the swish of his costume fabric as he leapt back through the skylight; the sound of his boots as he scurried across the patio ended abruptly as he (presumably) leapt over the railing. A moment later, the doorbell to the residence rang.

Not able to hear as well as Chat, I wasn't entirely sure but thought whoever had been headed in my direction had paused and then started back down toward the door. At this hour, Papa would still be in the Bakery. I closed my eyes again and rubbed where I'd hit my head; there was a slight bump now below the hairline and I wondered if I could hide it from maman. Clearly Chat had already seen it.

I was so focused on trying to control the throbbing through sheer force of will, I didn't hear the soft knock on the trapdoor. A slightly louder knock roused me, and I cracked open an eye as the door lifted up. it wasn't until my mother was leading him up the steps to the trapdoor that I knew Chat had gained admittance. "Honey?" she said as she pushed the door open to my room. "You have a visitor..."

I nodded but before I could say anything, Chat had vaulted around maman to my side. "Princess... what's wrong?" he asked with concern.

_Impressive act_, I thought. He had _me_ believing this was the first time he'd seen me.

"Ouch!" he said as he turned to maman. "Looks like she hit her head. Do you have ice downstairs?"

My mother stepped around Chat. "Let me see," she commanded in the mother voice.

I leaned down and she clucked a bit. "That's a bit of an egg," she remarked. "Chat's right; put some ice on it for a bit to keep the swelling down." She turned back to my partner. "You'll find it-"

"On it!" he said and in a flash all we saw was his tail as it whipped down the steps behind him.

Maman turned back. "How?" she asked simply.

I gestured to my desk, and what was left of my breakfast. "I was a bit clumsy," I said. "I nailed my head when I was under the desk trying to clean up the mess."

"Ah," she smiled. "I've done that before. You'll live."

"It doesn't feel like it at the moment," I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut again.

I heard the gentle swoosh of Chat's costume and then felt his presence. "I hope you don't mind," he said to my mother. "I found your dishtowels."

"That's perfect, Chat," she replied.

"This will be cold, Mari," he said gently as he carefully placed the frosty package on my head.

"Oooooooh," I breathed. It was cold enough to take my breath away for a moment.

"I'm happy to stay with her for a bit," Chat said. "I know you need to get back to the Bakery."

"Thanks, Chat," maman said. "I'll check back in a bit."

I watched maman head back down and then turned to Chat. "This is partly your fault," I accused.

"Me? What did _I_ do?"

"You knocked."

He looked nonplussed. "Isn't that what I'm _supposed_ to do?"

"Yes," I laughed finally. "But..." I trailed off, the free hand not holding the ice waving past my pajamas.

Chat finally noticed what I was wearing and flushed a deep, deep crimson. "Ah... oh wow. Look, I can go..." he said as he backed toward the ladder. Normally as graceful as a dancer, he somehow managed to tangle his legs in his tail and went down, hard.

I couldn't help but laugh, and I dropped the ice to go over and help him to his feet. "Are you okay?" I asked him as I took him by the paw.

"Just a bruised ego," he laughed. "But I had no idea. I should go."

"Don't," I said. "Believe it or not, I've been seen in public in these beauties."

Chat started to say something and then thought better of it.

I arched an eyebrow. "I can see the wheels turning…"

"I'm trying to come up with a scenario where you'd leave the house like that," he smirked.

Flushing slightly myself, I partially explained as my eyes wandered to the photos of Adrien on my wall. "Let's just say I was running really, really late for a pool date and wound up going to the movies instead."

"Pool… date?" he replied, his eyes following mine. The smirk evaporated as he saw my mini-shrine for the first time; I couldn't be sure, but I thought his ears straightened up in shock.

"Not with him!" I said abruptly, drawing his attention back to me. "He's a friend, obviously, but I've never been out with him. Alone." I grimaced as he raised that masked eyebrow again. "On a date."

Thinking this ship was going down, fast, I tried to change subjects. "You're early today."

Still looking thoughtful, Chat nodded. "Yeah. I'd originally stopped by to see if you... ah," he paused again, and ran a paw behind his neck as he snuck a quick glance back at the photos. I'd seen him do that move before, usually when he was asking Ladybug something delicate.

"What?" I prompted.

"Wouldyougoonadatewithmetonight?" he asked in a rush, his face going even deeper crimson.

I stood there, in my pajamas, slack jawed. "A... date? With... you?" I asked, the incredulousness clearly in my voice and the wildly inappropriate cackle of laughter that accompanied it.

Chat blanched at my tone and the color completely drained out of his face. Quickly, he started for the ladder again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you. I'm sure you've got plans already anyway," he added with a meaningful look back at my shrine. "Have a great weekend..."

Before I could say anything at all, the tip of his tail whisked through the skylight and he was gone.

I stood there for a few more moments, stunned. Chat had asked me on a date. And in a fraction of a second, I had spurned him. I stumbled backwards to the couch and sat, ice forgotten.

Tikki floated into my line of sight, clearly unimpressed with me. "That could have gone better," she said.

"You think?"


	5. Boundaries

**Five: Boundaries**

Whatever I'd actually planned on doing the rest of Saturday went forgotten as I considered what Chat had _hoped_ to invite me to that evening. Looking back over the past few months, I could see now that Chat had become very comfortable with me, and I, in turn, with him. He must have misread the signs and presumed we were in a very different place than I thought we were; sure, I wanted to get him to look away from Ladybug, but to have him land on Marinette as an alternative was an even bigger issue.

"Stupid cat," I muttered as I stared at my computer screen and the paused video on it. I'd been trying to master a new kind of cross stich but after three runs on the video had come no closer to nailing it. It was highly unusual as knitting and sewing came very naturally to me. What was worse? The pattern couldn't have been simpler. Staring down at the mess of yarn in my lap, I realized it was anything but – both the stitching and my relationship with Chat.

Tikki was sitting on the desk but had not offered much commentary since Chat's departure. That was also highly unusual, quietly speaking volumes on how she felt.

"Stop judging me, Tikki," I said with some exasperation as I re-queued the video for the fourth time.

"I'm not, Marinette," she said sweetly. "I'm just waiting for you. When you are ready to talk, I'm here."

My finger hovered over the keyboard. "You did warn me, didn't you?"

Tikki nodded. "Yes. But now we are here."

"Well," I laughed ruefully. "I wanted him to love someone other than Ladybug, didn't I?"

"You did," Tikki laughed. "And you appear to have been effective."

I turned fully toward her. "He does, doesn't he?"

"Love you, as Marinette?" Tikki floated up to me. "I think he does. Plagg says he talks about you more than Ladybug now."

That made my eyes widen. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

I considered that. While Chat hadn't changed how he operated with Ladybug, now that I thought about it, he _had_dialed back his flirting a bit. And it had been weeks since he'd suggested we hang out together - something that had been a nearly nightly invitation since the beginning of our partnership.

"Wow," I said to my kwami as I sagged back into my chair. "This is the worst possible option. He's got it bad."

"Yes," she said again. "The question now, Marinette, is how are you going to handle it?"

"How _can_ I handle it?" I replied somewhat morosely. "Now I've got to spurn him a second time."

Tikki looked aghast at the suggestion. "I know what I told you at the beginning, Marinette, but I think this has actually been a healthy process for Chat; he really needed to work out his feelings." She paused a bit. "Actually, it's more the case that he's starting to understand that he _has_ feelings, and what to do with them."

I stared at my kwami. "What am I supposed to do with that, then? This is too much. I can't deal with him _and_ keep Paris safe." I looked back at the frozen video on my computer screen. "It's too much," I repeated, more to convince myself than to press the point with TIkki.

Standing back, I pulled myself up to the bed and sat facing the pictures of Adrien. "I've got to make it clear I'm not interested in him. That there _is_ someone else."

"If that's what you think is best, Marinette," Tikki said, and though she was trying to sound supportive, I heard a hint of sadness in her melodic tones. "Just be gentle with Chat when the time comes."

Chat didn't reappear that day, or Sunday. In fact, I didn't see Chat again until we were called to action a few days later; while the akuma had gone well, his actions afterward infuriated me to no end. I thought we'd gotten to a good place, professionally, but the moment I turned and saw him on one knee, rose in his outstretched paw, I realized he'd reverted to form. Part of me intrinsically knew it was a result of what Marinette had said to him days earlier but I buried it beneath my righteous anger with my partner. Perhaps more harshly than I'd intended, I rebuffed him – again – and scooted away before he could make a further mess of everything by letting his transformation drop in front of me.

That hadn't been the worst part, for in what felt like a double gut-punch, the following day at school, Adrien of all people had asked me for advice about a girl. Completely misreading his intent, I had excitedly assumed he was discussing me, when in fact he appeared to only have eyes for that Ice Queen, Kagami. Having accidentally put that thought into words, I tried to make the best of my gaffe by recommending he take her to the local ice rink but even _that_ had gone awry when the owner had become akumatized.

When Chat appeared to help deal with Frozer, he'd initially been as chilly with me as the winter wonderland we were forced to fight in. I couldn't believe he was actually angry with me for turning him down – again – but it was clear what I'd told him had cut him to the bone. TIkki's words echoed in my ears as my partner angrily struck out on his own to face the akuma; we'd come together in the end to defeat Frozer, which seemed to jolly Chat a bit out of his bad humor. But I could tell our traditional fist pump was just a perfunctory act for him, and wondered as I watched him vault away if I'd permanently damaged my relationship with Chat – not just as Ladybug, but also as Marinette.

So it was a surprise when I heard the rubbery thump on my chimney flue that same evening. I'd had too much on my mind to focus on homework and had instead gone up to the rooftop patio to just stare at the stars, trying hard to empty out my pitcher of woes. Leaning on the railing as I was, it struck me that it was nearly the same position that Chat had encountered me prior to fighting Andre.

"Hello," Chat said quietly. "How are you this evening, Marinette?"

Despite how my feelings for my partner were so muddled, the gentle way he was speaking brought a smile to my face. Always the gentlemen, I could tell he was concerned about being welcome. "Truthfully, Chat?" I replied without turning around.

"Always, Princess," he promptly replied. "I'd expect nothing less."

"It's been an awful day," I sighed.

He paused, then said quietly, "Do you want to talk about it? I can lend an ear – or four."

_That_ brought a chuckle. "Not particularly," I said. "And I'm probably lousy company to begin with."

"That's not possible," came his quick reply. Nearly silently, he vaulted from the chimney to perch on the railing directly next to me. He was careful to keep a respectful distance, but it didn't matter – his whole feline body radiated his concern. I knew for I'd seen it when he'd assisted akuma victims after we'd released them from Hawkmoth's spell, pouring out compassion to those he'd never met.

It was odd to see him turn that skill on me. And just how genuine it was.

"You've helped me on many occasions, Princess," he said softly. "Let me repay the favor. What's bothering you?"

"Chat, you didn't come all the way over here just hear me vent about my day."

He leaned toward me, his bell softly dinging in the process. "Who says I don't live in the alley across the street?" he said good naturedly. "Look, would it help break the ice if I started?"

I finally turned to look at my partner and saw genuine empathy in those wide feline eyes framed by his mask. My breath caught for a moment in surprise – even after the way I'd treated him as Marinette, he still willing to be there for me. Unable to speak, I just nodded and blinked away the onslaught of tears that were threatening.

Chat nodded. "I wanted to apologize," he started. "It's tough to explain, but I don't have a lot of experience with... people. And girls in particular. I... uh... well, I put you on the spot when I asked you out the other day. I have to admit, I was a little upset when you said 'no,' but I've had time to think about it, and... I'm really sorry. I care about you – as a friend," he hastened to add, "and I've had a few days to worry that I might have ruined it."

He was so sincere, and so visibly worried that he'd hurt _me_ with his actions that I dissolved into tears on the spot. "Oh, Chat," I sobbed. "No - no, it's fine," I tried to wave him off but in a blur of black leather, he was beside me, pulling me into a gentle hug. "It was just such a long day..."

"I understand," he said softly; he was holding me so tentatively that I started to sob harder. "Let it out," he whispered as he very slowly patted me on the back.

His embrace was so gentle, and so what I needed at that moment, I unconsciously leaned into him and placed my head against his black-cladded chest. I felt him stiffen a bit and then relax slightly, then slowly move his paw to the back of my head, stroking it ever so subtly. I let the emotion I'd been holding back for the past few days wash over me – the anger over Kagami, my irritation with Chat, the fear I'd lost Adrien, the despair I'd let Paris down as Ladybug – and just melted into the gentle caress of my partner.

As the tide began to recede, I felt more than heard his soft purring as it rumbled through his chest. It was, much like the gentle embrace, exactly what I needed at that moment; feeling far better than I had a right to, I leaned away from him to look at those bright feline eyes. "I'm so sorry," I sniffed. "I don't usually cry on my guests."

Carefully, he snagged a final tear from my face with a claw tip as he smiled warmly. "Don't worry," he laughed. "My costume will survive."

"That it will," I replied and got an arched masked eyebrow in response.

"So," he said as he leaned against the railing with me still in his arms. "_Now_ do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

"It's silly," I said. "And... and I'm afraid you might think less of me if I tell you."

"That would be impossible, Princess," he said with a wider smile.

"You have such faith in me, Chat," I said suddenly. "Don't you fear it's misplaced?"

"Not in a million years," he immediately replied. "You're a lot like Ladybug in that way."

I tensed, and he looked at me suddenly. "I am?"

"Yes," he said, eyes still cautiously looking at me. "Both of you have the purest of intentions, and such a deep-rooted desire to do good. It engenders faith."

I felt my face warm – Chat had never said anything like that to Ladybug before. It made me feel even worse for the way I'd treated him. "That's rare company you've put me into."

"I know," he smiled, "but totally appropriate."

"It's also a lot of pressure," I muttered.

"Not really," he said, putting a claw tip to my chin. "Especially when you're surrounding by friends who care about you. I know I am but one."

"Chat..." I started but didn't get a chance to finish; my phone started to ring, jolting us out of the moment.

Chat released me and I dug the phone out to see it was Alya. "Hey," I answered.

"Girl! Did you see the rumor? Chloe says Adrien is dating Kagami!"

My eyes widened and looked to Chat, who stared back at me with equal shock. "He is?" I squeaked, wishing I'd sent the call to voicemail.

"Yes! You were at the rink today, right? What did you see? What did he say? Did you intercept him? I can't believe you let the Ice Queen muscle in on your guy!"

I looked up and saw not only had Chat's masked eyes widened in surprise, his ears were standing straight up in equal shock. "Alya, can I call you back?"

"What? We need to talk!"

"I'll call you back!" I fairly yelled and then tossed the phone to the chaise like it was radioactive. I turned back to Chat and saw his face was as red as mine felt. "I'm sorry," I said, "I should have put her off."

"You... you _love_ Adrien?" he gasped.


	6. Crushed Crush

**Six: Crushed Crush**

Something in the way he gasped told me Chat had connected the pictures he'd seen in my room to my actions with him, and I realized I should have told him up front. I cast my eyes down and focused on his boots, which I noted for the first time kind of looked like cat paws. They were cute, actually, and matched his overall costume.

How had I missed that before?

"Yes," I said quietly.

"He doesn't know, does he?" Chat said, equally as quiet.

"No," I admitted. "Each time I get up the nerve to say something, I stumble over my words."

Chat actually surprised me by laughing, and pulling me back into his arms. "I'm just the opposite," he laughed harder. "I can't _stop_ telling Ladybug how much I love her. I think it's driving her batty."

Despite how serious I should be feeling, his laughter softened the moment. "We are of a kind, aren't we?" I agreed. "I'm sorry, I should have told that to you earlier. When you asked me to the movies."

"I get it," he said. "And I'll be honest, I might have pushed a bit hard." He let me go, but kept his attention on my eyes. "I'm in a weird spot with Ladybug, too," he added as he turned and unconsciously took up the same leaning position against the railing I'd had when he'd found me.

Softly, very very softly, he said: "I think I might have to move on, actually."

I joined him at the rail, torn between elation that maybe he was ready to let Ladybug go, but heartbroken at the hurt that underscored his words. I knew now for sure that he truly believed he was in love with Ladybug. This was a big deal for him – his first crush had gone sour. "Oh, Chat," I said, running a hand along his arm. "I'm so sorry," I said, feeling queasy at the thought I was the cause of his pain.

"I've known for a while now, I guess," he said. "Today sealed it. I rather baldly told her how I felt, rose and all, only to have her firmly set me straight." He looked up toward the empty night sky. "She's right, we can't have a personal relationship and keep Paris safe."

Sighing, he added, "It's just not meant to be." He turned to me. "But you have no such constraints with Adrien," he smiled. "Lucky you."

"Lucky me," I replied, but it felt hollow as I did.

"Well," Chat said as he leapt to the rail and perched. "I've got to get going."

"Really?" I said.

"Yeah," his eyes crinkled with a smile. "It's a school night for one of us."

My eyes narrowed. "Only one of us?"

"Secret identity," he purred pointing to his chest with a paw. "I could be a fulltime lifeguard at Le Grand Hotel."

"I highly doubt that." As he coiled to launch himself into the night, I put an arm to his bicep. "Tomorrow night isn't a school night," I said impulsively. "In fact, it's Friday."

"So it is," he smiled and then looked thoughtful. "You are strong, Marinette. Be bold. Go right up to your heartthrob tomorrow and ask him out. What's the worst that can happen?"

"He'll say no."

"He might just say yes." He leaned over to me. "Follow your heart. You can do this."

"All right..." I said.

"Good. Then I'll see you tomorrow!" he said somewhat cryptically as he leapt away into the night.

The gauntlet having been thrown, I didn't sleep at all that night, worried about how to approach Adrien. While it wasn't exactly a bet I had with Chat, I felt as though it were; only when I was brushing my teeth after breakfast did I realize I had no way to tell him if I _had_ scored a date with Adrien. I filed that problem away to deal with only if I'd managed to seal the deal with the supermodel.

Given how my earlier approaches had not worked out very well, I tossed around various plans, including several that saw the two of us accidentally stranded in an elevator for hours. That one had merit, save for the critical problem that Dupont had no elevator. As I made my way up the steps of the school, I despaired that I'd not come up with an effective plan of attack, completely contrary to how I'd handle things as Ladybug.

How _would_ I handle it, as Ladybug?

That thought had me so enthralled that I rammed headlong into Adrien on the other side of the massive doors, sending both of us to the ground and dumping school supplies everywhere. Stunned for a moment, it took a second for me to realize Adrien was kneeling next to me, hand out. "Sorry," he said with that megawatt smile. "I had my earbuds in and didn't see you."

"No, it's my fault," I said as he helped me up. "I was deep in thought."

We scurried around picking up our books before turning to each other again. "So glad it's Friday," Adrien said as we started toward the steps leading to first period. "It's been a heck of a week. You have plans for the weekend?"

"No," I said dreamily, amazed that this God was actually talking to me, like I was a peer.

"Me either," Adrien said happily. "It's the first time in ages Father hasn't scheduled me end-to-end. I might actually get in some video games," he added, and looked at me expectantly.

"Video games," I echoed back at him.

His smile faltered a bit, but he held the door for me to the classroom and bowed me in. I walked on air all the way to my desk before the jolting realization I'd had a golden opportunity to ask him out. Shocked into action, I paused and turned to say something to him.

And froze.

Kagami was standing just below Adrien's desk, and her cold eyes connected with mine before she turned them on Adrien. "I've got to go to the orchestra tonight; my mother has a box and a spare ticket. Are you free?"

Adrien glanced at me for a long moment, then turned to Kagami. "I am," he said carefully, "but I'd need to call and clear it with Father."

"Good. We'll have dinner first if you can meet me by sixteen-hundred."

"Sounds like a _date_," Adrien said with subtle emphasis. "Thanks for thinking of me, Kagami."

She nodded, looked at me again with a hint of a smile, and walked to her desk. I sank into mine and pulled out my textbook to bury myself in the lecture. Emotions running high at my failure, I shut everyone out through lunch, going so far as to eat alone and then bolt to the science lab a good forty minutes before class started. I didn't need the time, but rather wanted to be alone with my thoughts.

I was so upset, I didn't initially hear the _tap-tap-tap _coming from the tall classroom windows. When they repeated, I turned with a start to see a smiling Chat Noir clinging to the ledge. It took a moment, but I managed to get the window open enough for him to roll into the room and land in his cat-crouch at my feet.

"Princess," he smiled. "I could feel your sympathetic vibrations - today has been no better than yesterday, has it?"

I felt my eyes go wide and my face flush. "Either you have ESP or you are a student in this school and saw my abject failure."

"I'm a cat," he smiled wider. "We are attuned to people's feelings."

"Are you now?" I asked, and found his good humor infections. A slight smile played at my mouth. "Well, it's just as well you're here. I didn't connect with Adrien tonight."

"I'm proud of you for _trying_ to ask," he said sincerely.

"Yeah," I laughed ruefully, knowing full well I'd not even tried. "Well, my Friday is now wide open. Want to hang out?"

He looked at me closely before standing up and taking a step toward me. "If it's what you want, yes, I will be there." Chat paused for a moment. "But Mari," he said slowly, "I don't want to be your _second_ choice. Your backup plan." He looked away.

I observed him for a moment, realizing he might just take my offer in that way. "Chat," I said, suddenly exhausted and wanting to take my anger over Kagami out on someone, "I just wanted to hang with a friend tonight. Come, or don't. It doesn't matter either way to me." I turned on him and marched back to my desk, trying to ignore the fact that Chat looked as though I'd slapped him.

"As you wish," he said softly.

I heard the whisper of his costume as he leapt back through the window and was gone. Tikki was moving in my purse but I chose to ignore her; I was reasonably certain I knew what she would have said anyway. For I was saying it to myself.

I'd wounded my kitty again.


	7. Troubled Developments

**Seven: Troubled Developments**

For the next several weeks, I only saw Chat as Ladybug. He seemed to have turned the page on our relationship, and to be honest, despite having pushed him away, I found myself somewhat jealous that he'd actually moved on. Knowing I had no right to feel that way didn't make understanding it any easier, though; despite the negative vibrations I had to have been giving off, Chat was nothing if not as full of compassion as always, professional to the core and a true partner in all ways.

It made me feel even worse that I'd been so successful. Adding to the negative feedback loop was the tiny matter that I'd also pushed him away from my alter-ego. Nearly a month later, I started to wonder if I'd ever see him again as Marinette; as each night went by without hearing his familiar rubbery thump on my rooftop patio, my hopes that my feline friend would appear dimmed.

In some sort of weird cosmic karma, after initially having some interest in me, Adrien had cooled his attentions, too. Admittedly, it hadn't been more than an uptick in conversation here or there; he'd even on more than a few occasions had been the one to volunteer to partner with me on a project or two. But for more than a month now, other than his usual politeness, he'd stopped going out of his way to engage me, such as it had been. More and more I wondered if that day in class with Kagami had been some sort of test from him, and one that I had failed. Badly. It didn't make it any better knowing that it had been pure chance Kagami had even been at our school that morning; clearly, she'd made the most of her opportunity - far better than I had.

My world shrunk to school, the Bakery, and the near-daily akumas I fought with Chat.

Everything got worse that weekend Jagged Stone decided to film at the Bakery for some reality show he was appearing in. In typical fashion it had gone horribly wrong in every way possible, including having Chat _in my room_again; yes, I'd been Ladybug at the time, but still it felt awkward when he once again saw the pictures of Adrien I had posted on the wall above my bed. Of course, the entire _world_ had seen them, too, broadcast live courtesy of Jagged, but it was Chat's reaction – a single arched eyebrow and a blithe comment about Marinette's taste in guys – that had for some reason bothered me the most.

Again, he was nothing but professional as we fought Troublemaker; grudgingly, I had to admit he'd actually saved me from losing my earrings to the akuma. After we'd freed Penny from Hawkmoth's control and restored the Bakery, I'd laughingly told him that he'd nearly found out who I was under the mask courtesy of Hawkmoth, expecting his usual snarky reply.

Instead, Chat's response to me as he was perched on my railing caught me completely off guard. He'd smiled softly and said simply, "I already know who you are, Milady. You're the girl who stole my heart."

Stunned, I watched him leap away from me. I took an extra moment before circling around myself to reappear in the Bakery as Marinette, watched the final part of the live show as it was completed and then returned to my private spot on the patio to ruminate on what Chat had said. Leaning against the railing where not more than an hour earlier Chat had perched, I wondered if he still had feelings for Ladybug and had just gotten better at hiding them from me; that line of thinking inexorably led to wondering if I'd hurt him as badly as I thought I had as Marinette.

"Tikki," I asked as my kwami floated next to me, "I think I've hurt Chat _twice_. He's not really the same with me as Ladybug, and I've not seen him as Marinette in weeks."

"Marinette," Tikki replied, "isn't that what you wanted? Chat more focused on being a hero and less focused on you? You made it rather clear to him on both fronts."

I turned to Tikki. "What do you me _both_ fronts? Sure, as Ladybug I want Chat to see me as his partner and nothing more; I never said anything like that to him as Marinette."

"Didn't you?" She floated there, staring at me. "I seem to recall you being rather dismissive of Chat's feelings as Marinette. 'Come or don't, I don't care?' ring a bell?"

I felt my face warm. "I was angry," I said defensively. "He was-"

"Being a gentleman," she reminded me, "but one who wanted to know he was, well, wanted." She paused. "You can't blame him for that. He's been rejected by Ladybug so many times now, I'm sure he has doubts about himself."

I did a doubletake. "He-_he_ has doubts?" I said, incredulous. "Chat? Mister Supremely Self-Confident?"

"Everyone has doubts, Marinette. Even you."

TIkki had a point, but I decided I didn't want to discuss it further. The next day in school, however, Adrien of all people pounced on me in the locker room.

"So, you're a fan," he asked, with a wicked gleam to his eye.

He'd snuck up on me in the locker room as stealthily as a cat, revealed with an arched eyebrow and a sly smile when I'd closed my locker door. "Uh… yes," I said, wondering where his sudden interest was coming from. Then it dawned on me – he'd watched the live show, just like everyone else.

Thinking quickly, I smiled and managed to get out: "I'm in love with you," then realized what I'd said. "You're fashion! I'm in love with fashion! And you're fashion."

The sly smile went a bit wider, and for a moment I thought I saw a trace of Chat in it. "Indeed," he replied. "I had no idea. I mean, I knew you were into fashion, but I didn't realize you followed me so closely," he added, and I could have sworn he'd winked on the final word.

"I do," I replied, and then realized I was staring at him. "I mean, I follow your work. Closely. Not you. I mean –"

He laughed, crinkling his eyes in the process. Again, I was reminded slightly of Chat. "It's okay, Marinette," he said gently. "I'm glad to have you as a fan. We should talk fashion together; in fact, why don't you come to one of my photo shoots?"

"Come?" I gagged. "To?"

"I'll talk to Nathalie," he smiled as he started to walk away. "I'll get some dates for you."

"Okay…" I said, dazed and unsure what had just happened. Watching his retreating back, I felt Tikki float out of my purse. "Did he just invite me to a photo shoot?"

"Yes, Marinette," Tikki said cheerfully. "Nicely done."

"I didn't do anything," I sighed as I sagged against my locker door.

I managed to get through the rest of the day at school without too much ribbing from my friends and found myself once more on my rooftop patio contemplating life, the universe and everything. I was so enthralled by my ruminations that I didn't hear the telltale rubbery thump of my partner as he landed on the chimney behind me. In fact, he had to leap down to the railing beside me and then jingle his bell before I snapped out of it and turned to see him smiling, bemused. "Earth to Marinette," he chuckled.

"Chat!" I turned toward him fully. "I'm sorry, I was just… thinking. I didn't mean to ignore you."

"No worries," he said cheerily. "I was out and about tonight and saw the lights."

"I'm glad you dropped in," I said. "I've missed your visits."

"Have you?" he asked, and there was something in the way that he said it that caught me. Sadness? Elation? A combination? For once, his masked features were inscrutable to me.

"Yes. Look, I know I was a bit of a jerk a few weeks back –"

"Marinette, it's okay. I'm not upset." He twisted around and went from his boots-and-paws stance on the railing to simply sitting on it, with one knee drawn to his chest. I still had no idea how he managed to make it look so effortless. "Obviously, I enjoy your company, but I understand if you'd rather hang out with kids from your school."

"Chat," I said slowly, "you are _not_ my backup plan."

"Good to know," he chuckled.

"No, I mean it. You are my friend. I hope you understand that – and how much it means to me."

He turned his head toward me slightly, and considered for a moment. "As you are mine, Princess," he replied quietly. "To be honest, it might mean slightly more to me to have a friend; I don't have many."

It was so heartfelt, and so nakedly raw emotionally that my breath caught. "Chat, that can't be true."

He smiled. "The glamour of a superhero," he laughed again. "But no. Aside from Ladybug and yourself, I don't hang out with anyone else."

"Surely your alter-ego has friends?" I said, dumbstruck.

"A few," he nodded. "But not many." He paused for a beat and smirked. "And don't call me Shirley."

I blinked. "I didn't," I replied, confused.

Chat laughed again. "See? That right there? You clearly have never seen any classic movies. I've got to fix that."

I swallowed, for I could feel the eagerness just below the surface – that despite what he was saying, he really was _more_ alone than he was admitting. I'd missed the deeper level before, but now I could see the loneliness clearly. It might have even driven him to return to my balcony. And in truth, I really had missed seeing Chat – more than I'd realized.

On the other hand, it felt like I was making progress with Adrien; I didn't need Chat as a distraction.

While I debated what to say, I could tell that Chat had read my expression; his smile faded and he popped back into his more standard perch, which I knew meant he was getting ready to leap away. "Anyway," he said, "I should go."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, but he paused, that expectant look appearing again.

I swallowed again. "Well…" I started, and watched his smile bloom slightly. "Uh, have a great evening..."

His smile froze. Whatever he'd expected me to say, it wasn't that. It dawned on me he'd given me an opportunity to ask him to stay, which I'd torched completely. "Good night, Princess," he said simply, and in a soft whoosh of fabric, was gone.

I stared after him, hearing his baton and seeing him occasionally as his costume picked up the lights of the city, knowing I had done it once more. "Chat!" I called out into the darkness, leaning on his superior feline hearing. "Chat, wait!"

I thought perhaps I'd missed him, but a few heartbeats later, I heard the baton grow closer followed by the gentle rush of air as Chat fell out of the sky and back onto the railing. His expression was concerned as he perched there, paws holding tightly to the wrought iron. "Princess?"

"Trocadero? Saturday?" I asked. "I would love your company as I sketch. If… I mean, assuming you're free?"

Chat's eyes lit up. "I can be!" he said enthusiastically. "What time?"

"It'll have to be early," I replied. "I need the best light. Can you make seven?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

"Okay," I laughed, "then I'll see you then."

He nodded and smiled like he'd won the lottery. "See you then!"


	8. Drawn Together

**Eight: Drawn Together**

I saw a lot of Chat – as Ladybug – leading up to Saturday. Hawkmoth had gone into one of his more manic periods, throwing multiple akumas at us each day for the rest of the week; by the end of it, I was exhausted, and I knew Chat was too. What was worse was the schoolwork that had piled up as a result of being called to action so frequently. By the time Saturday rolled around, I was wiped out in every sense of the word.

Lying in my bed in the pre-dawn, I contemplated the heavy weekend of homework ahead of me and found I was tired enough to face the simple fact I _had_ been missing seeing Chat. I'd felt that way the last time I'd sent him packing but hadn't really admitted to myself it was true until that moment. Adrien had come through and invited me to a photo shoot, but whatever I thought I was going to get out of it failed to materialize, as he'd been pulled in ten directions simultaneously, leaving little time for discussion – of fashion or anything, for that matter. It made the quiet moments I'd previously enjoyed with Chat resonate all the more.

Pushing myself out of bed, I realized I was seriously looking forward to seeing my friend in black.

After munching on breakfast, I grabbed my art kit, I told my parents I was going to the Trocadero for a bit and then exited the Bakery into the warm, and very sunny early Saturday morning. To my surprise, Chat was waiting for me perched atop the fence of the park across the street from my building.

He caught my eye and I shifted directions. "Princess," he said as he flipped around and slid down one of the wrought iron posts, using a boot toe and one paw to slow his descent. "Good morning!"

"Chat," I smiled. "How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long," he said. As excited as he seemed to be, he looked as tired as I felt. "May I offer you a lift? Chat's Air Express?"

I laughed. "I have baggage," I replied, holding out my art supplies. "Is that extra?"

"For you, Princess," he said as he wrapped an arm around me and extended his baton, "never."

The sun wasn't very high over the horizon as we rose up into the lightening sky; Chat efficiently worked his way over the rooftops and gently landed the two of us on the higher of the terraces facing the Eiffel Tower. "I'm not certain where you want to set up your studio," he said as he released me. "Is this okay?"

I felt myself smiling. He'd uncannily zeroed in on my favorite inspiration spot. "No, this is perfect."

"You mean purrfect?" he purred as he took my bags and helped me set everything out.

"Of course," I laughed as I tried not to roll my eyes.

I settled in with my sketchbook and sharpened a fresh pencil; Chat folded himself in beside me, but tactfully made a point of not looking over my shoulder. Instead, he carefully scanned the plaza in a slow but continuous circuit, keeping an eye on everything and, essentially, standing watch for me.

"You don't have to do that," I said as I started some lines of the Tower.

"What?" he murmured.

"Guard me."

I heard him chuckle. "Occupational hazard," he said. "We've encountered so many akumas in this space, I sort of assume one will pop up now each time I'm here."

I'd not thought about that, but he was right. There were a few areas of Paris that seemed to attract Hawkmoth's attention more than others, and both Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower off in the distance had seen more than their fair share of evildoers. I looked at Chat anew – the very fact that he'd essentially gone into protection mode for me started to trigger emotions I didn't want to deal with. Flipping a new page in my book, I said with more of an edge than I'd intended, "Go sit over there, on the ledge, Chat."

His blond mane swung around, eyes wide at what had come out as a command. "Of course, Princess," he said, arching a masked eyebrow but not commenting further. In a smooth movement, he leapt from his crouch beside me to the top of the granite wall I'd indicated, his tail flipping behind him as he soared through the air.

"Here?" he asked as he perched on the edge of the wall, hands between his boots.

"How do you make that look so easy?" I laughed.

"What?" he asked, cocking his head questioningly.

"Perch like that, defying gravity."

He smiled. "Oh, _that_," he laughed. "Just part of being a cat, I suppose."

"Right," I smiled. "Okay, turn slightly left…"

"Like this?" he said, intentionally turning right.

"Stage left," I corrected.

"This way?" he said, turning his back to me.

"_Chat_!"

"All right, all right," he chuckled. "Just trying to lighten the moment."

I tried to keep my frown at his intentional misbehavior, but his good humor was infectious; despite myself, I was smiling. "That's got it now," I said. "At the risk of regretting saying this… hold still…"

"I can do that," he said.

And he was as good as his word. In what seemed like just a few minutes, Chat actually spent the next four hours posing in various spots throughout the plaza; while I'd not expressly set out to sketch my partner, I was mesmerized by the way the light played off of his costume. In all honesty, I was usually so focused on fighting the akuma at hand, other than taking in the fact Chat was with me, I'd never really observed anything else. I mean, I'd obviously _seen _it, but this morning, I was truly _seeing_ it.

_How long had he had those tiny metal accents?_ I found myself wondering. _They're tastefully placed, not overwhelming the design in any way. There are even little accents in his feline ears, too. How had I missed that?_

Each new pose brought a fresh perspective on both the costume and, in many ways, my partner. I was well aware from talking with Tikki that the costume reflected the holder; while I wasn't sure what that said about me, it was clear Chat had put a lot of thought into his. And not only that, he seemed to have an excellent sense of fashion; every aspect, right down to the decorative piping, accentuated the whole while still giving him the freedom of movement required for a superhero.

I _was_ surprised at how easily he struck each position; he was naturally limber – or his Miraculous made him so – allowing me a few very cat-like scenes with him curled up around something or stretched out luxuriously. Not once did he complain about the increasingly creative scenes I came up with.

As it turned out, we had to stop solely because my hand had started to cramp up. Shaking it out, I beckoned to Chat who was hanging upside down from a tree branch. "Okay, time for a break."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I could do this all day."

"I don't doubt it," I laughed. "But my hand is toast."

"Okay," he said as he flipped out of the tree and landed in front of me in a crouch. "Can I peek?" he asked, his masked green eyes sliding down to the sketchbook in my hands.

"Sure," I said. "But first – can I ask you a question?"

"Anything, Princess."

"What's with the bell?"

His paw came up and he ticked the bell at his collar with a claw tip. "This?" he smiled.

"Yeah. I mean, everything else about your costume screams _stealth_ and yet you have that beauty." I flipped open the sketchbook and paged to one sketch I had done that focused in on the way the gold in the bell had caught the sunlight. "Don't get me wrong, it's so intrinsically _right_ in the overall context of the rest of your outfit," I added as I showed him my study.

He smiled when he saw the sketch. "I'm glad you approve," he said, eyes narrowing with humor. "To be honest, it only rings out when I want it to, so I am completely capable of remaining stealthy."

My mouth quirked. "That's not exactly what I asked, Chat,"

"I know," he smiled a bit wider.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

Chat moved a bit closer to me and tilted his head slightly. "You really want to know, don't you?" he asked, his tone serious.

"I do."

His masked green eyes considered me for a long moment. He took a deep breath. "I've never even told Ladybug why I wear it, Mari," he said. "The truth?"

I nodded.

"Okay," he said. He took another deep breath. "It's a symbol, I guess. You know how domesticated cats usually have a collar?"

My eyes widened. "With a bell."

"Exactly," he nodded. He tapped the bell again with a claw, and it sang out merrily. "It's sort of a dream of mine," Chat added as he looked up into the blue sky. "To be… wanted. Kept track of. Loved." His head snapped back to mine, and I could see a slight flush to his exposed cheeks. "Sad, right?"

It was so heartbreakingly honest, it took my breath away. "I had no idea, Chat," I said, speaking for both Marinette _and_ Ladybug in that moment. "Don't you have a family?"

Chat smiled. "I'm just an alley cat, Princess, remember?"

"Right," I said, "and I think you also claimed to be a lifeguard at Le Grand Hotel, too." My eyes took in the muscles clearly outlined by his costume. "The latter seems more plausible."

Chat flushed deeper when he realized I was ogling him. "Ah… well…" he coughed and then hurriedly pulled out his baton and checked the time. "As pleasant as this has been, I actually need to scat, Princess," he said apologetically. "I've had a marvelous time, though. Thanks for inviting me."

"You're welcome. I enjoyed it too; I had no idea you could be my muse," I said honestly.

He smiled wider. "Always happy to oblige."

We packed up my material and he carried me back to the Bakery over the rooftops of Paris. "Thanks again," he said as he popped up to the railing to sail into the blue sky. "Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

"Definitely," I replied. "But not until I catch up on some seriously backlogged homework."

He looked at me, a thoughtful expression on his masked visage. "I probably shouldn't say this, but I need to catch up myself. I'd be happy to keep you company while you slog through it. To be honest, I'd actually rather not be cooped up alone." His masked green eyes twinkled. "Cats can be conducive to critical thinking," he added with a sly smile.

"I'd think they'd be more of a distraction," I observed.

"Depends on the cat," he smirked.

Strangely, after the morning we'd had together, I found the idea of him hanging around longer extremely appealing. Impulsively, I nodded. "Yes," I said. "I'd love the company."

Chat smiled crookedly. "All right," he said. "I have an… obligation this afternoon; assuming Hawkmoth doesn't interrupt me again, I could be here around sixteen-hundred?"

"Perfect."

He smiled and saluted. "Until then, Princess," he cried as he fell over the edge and was gone.

As I watched him baton his way across the city, bemused smile on my face, it occurred to me I'd not thought about Adrien once the entire morning… and wondered if that was a good thing. Part of me was thinking it was.

A very good thing.


	9. Thrown Off The Scent

**Nine: Thrown Off The Scent**

We fell back into a comfortable pattern after that Saturday of sketching.

Initially, Chat would randomly visit on weeknights, and I could generally count on him always appearing just after dinner on Friday nights. More and more often, though, he was at the Bakery just about every evening and almost every weekend. I'm not sure when I realized the situation had flipped – when his absence from the Bakery became the exception and not the rule.

Chat becoming a constant in my life – my civilian life, that is – was never anything I had remotely considered. And yet, the longer we were together, the more natural it felt to be with him. There were difficulties, of course; I obviously had no idea who was under the mask and those insanely cute cat ears and therefore no way to know if he was who he purported to be.

I had also begun to get creative each time Hawkmoth threw an akuma at Paris when Chat was with me; early on, he'd gone into protection mode and insisted on getting me to safety. Slowly, though, I'd gotten him comfortable with the notion I could find a hiding spot perfectly fine on my own – enough that several months in, he was _finally_ comfortable enough to leave me so I could quickly transform and catch up to him as Ladybug.

Right after wrapping one of those random-but-probably-not akuma attacks, Chat caught me before I took off to de-transform. "LB, got a moment?" he asked.

"Absolutely," I smiled. I'd seen my partner become more confident over the same period, though the core parts of him – the compassion, the dedication to _be_ my partner – had only become more polished. "How many dots do I have?" I asked as I stepped toward him and tilted my head.

He smiled that special smile he saved for Ladybug as he leaned in to look. "Three," he said as he pulled back. Something crossed his face, though, and I thought I caught him wrinkling his nose. "Not quite enough time for an ice cream," he added with a chuckle, which I thought was more to cover his loss of composure.

"What?" I asked.

"What, _what_?" he replied.

I inclined my head. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you smelled something on me," I said. "Did something rub off on me from that akuma?"

"No," he said quickly. "No, nothing like that. I'm sorry…" he apologized, and his face shaded red slightly as he continued. "When I was looking at your earrings, I caught your personal scent just then." His brow furrowed again. "Well, I thought it was your personal scent."

My eyes widened, and not just at his admission. "You smelled… me?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," he said, and flushed crimson much as he had when he'd explained to me, as Marinette, how sensitive his feline sense of smell was. "Look, I just want to go on the record – I don't intentionally try and… uh…"

"I know," I replied, trying to tamp down his anxiety while attempting to mask mine. For in that moment, I wondered if he'd caught something familiar – something close to Marinette.

He breathed a bit. "Here's the thing," he said slowly. "I thought I smelled someone else for a moment. It's never happened to me before."

"But now I smell like… me?"

"Yeah," he said sheepishly. "Anyway, _not_ what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Good," I said as my earrings chirped.

He caught the dot as it winked out and hurried on. "Listen, I've got a really good friend… someone I really care about. I hang out with her all the time, now, and… well, I thought it might be best for me to find out what our ground rules are – as superheroes." He coughed. "And… uh… having personal relationships. With civilians."

My eyes widened again. "I thought I was your one true love, Chat," I teased. "I can't believe you've forsaken me."

Chat went positively brilliant red and a paw shot to the back of his neck. "Milady…" he started cautiously, "no one could ever replace you, of course, but you _did_ make it pretty clear where I stood with you."

I put a hand on his arm. "Chat, I know. You're aware of my reasons why, and they've not changed," I said, though as soon as I did, I realized with amazing clarity they had. I'd pushed him away before because of my crush on Adrien; I knew in that moment I had shifted away from Adrien - that my heart was firmly in the paws of my partner.

It had happened so gradually, so organically, it had simply bloomed into something wonderful.

But now, ironically, I needed to continue to push him away as Ladybug so I could have him in my life as Marinette. For we were still a long way away from being able to reveal our civilian identities to each other. And if I were being honest with myself, I knew I was perfectly happy with that arrangement.

Chat smiled at me. "I do love you, Ladybug," he said. "That will never change."

"I know," I said again. "It means a lot that you thought enough of me to ask permission, not that you truly needed it. But you have my blessing to date this mystery person."

He nodded with a large smile. "Thank you," he said as he leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you around," he saluted and the vaulted into the blue sky.

I waited until he was well out of sight before pressing myself into a dark corner of the rooftop I was on and then de-transformed. As Tikki floated up to me for a macaroon, I knew I was smiling foolishly. "He's finally managed to do it, Tikki," I said airily.

"What's that?" she asked.

"That cat has me wrapped around his paw."

Tikki rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know," she laughed cheerily.

"Tikki!" I cried. "I didn't know you could be snarky."

"Spend a lifetime with Plagg and you learn, fast," she laughed again.

"I do have a problem, though," I continued. "I think he's getting better with that feline sense of smell of his. Chat nearly picked up what he knows as the 'Marinette Scent' while I was transformed."

Tikki nodded. "That's not surprising. You should visit with Master Fu; he can help you."

"He can?" I said incredulously. "What, is he going to make me smell different?'

"Yes," she said simply.

Flummoxed, I decided to take her up on her suggestion and re-transformed to head off to Master Fu's apartment. After changing back to Marinette in a side alley, the diminutive Guardian met me at the door to his small space.

"Ladybug," he said warmly. "I didn't realize there was another akuma. Do you need backup?"

"No, Master," I said. "I have an interesting situation."

He beckoned me to join him in a cup of tea. "You're dating Chat Noir," he said simply as we settled into the pillows.

"How-?" I spluttered into my teacup.

"You forget, Marinette, that the kwamis stay in touch."

I looked at Tikki who was hovering over my shoulder. She smiled slightly and shrugged. "Ah," I said. "Well, I am, but as Marinette."

"Indeed."

"I think his sense of smell is capable of connecting Ladybug to Marinette, Master. Tikki thought you could help me."

He smiled as he stood from his pillow and moved to the banquet that held the Miraculous Box. "I can. This has happened once before; the Ladybug holder in the forties fell for _her_ Chat, and I came up with a special perfume for her."

Master Fu opened a door on the cabinet and rustled around some glass bottles, then produced one with a clear liquid. "I will make more, of course, but this will get you started. To Chat, it will smell like something floral, and will completely mask your normal Marinette scent portfolio."

I took the small vial and held it to the light. "Will he be suspicious?"

"Yes," he nodded sagely. "You'll have to convince him it's something you found at a department store."

I looked at him. "Me? Buying perfume at a department store?"

"I didn't say it would be easy," he smiled again as I packed away the perfume and departed.

Returning to the Bakery, I landed on a rooftop close by. I had taken to doing a bit of reconnaissance before heading to my bedroom just in case Chat had come calling; it wouldn't do for Ladybug to appear when she wasn't supposed to be near. I appeared to be in luck, but being overly cautious, I checked the Chat Tracker on my Bug Phone and saw he was quite literally on the other side of the city – but was heading in my direction. Rapidly.

I flung the yo-yo toward the chimney over the Bakery and reeled myself in, smoothly dropping through my open skylight and sliding down the ladder as I de-transformed. Tikki helpfully phased into my purse and came up with the bottle from Master Fu. "No time like the present," I laughed as I uncorked the stopper and dabbed a little here and there, just as I'd seen my mother do.

A vaguely floral fragrance assaulted my olfactory systems, and I wrinkled my nose; Master Fu hadn't warned me that the stuff was super-strength, and as the competing scents of roses, tulips and lilac filled my bedroom, I wondered if I'd drive not just Chat from the Bakery, but my family too. And maybe the people in the next building over.

Panicking slightly, I opened my windows along the street and was heading back through the skylight when I heard slight _thump_ at the windowsill. "Princess?"

Sliding back down the ladder, I put on my best smile and turned to see Chat perched on the windowsill. "Hey, kitty," I said as I walked toward him.

"You never have the window open," he said as he arched a masked eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing," I said, perhaps a bit too fast.

Chat started to reply and then I saw his nose wrinkle. A moment later, a paw went up to cover it protectively. "What is that _smell_?" he gasped, eyes wide and voice slightly muffled. "Were you doing some kind of artwork?"

I tried not to smile as he began waving his paw to clear the air. "Not yet," I said, inclining my head toward an easel. "I was planning on sketching you in charcoal if you were willing to sit for me. But you might be detecting my new perfume."

"I'm always happy to be your model," he laughed, his masked green eyes dancing merrily. He'd already noted on a prior visit that the Trocadero sketches had replaced the clippings of Adrien over my bed. "But only if we do it outside. Your perfume is a bit overwhelming."

"Is it?" I repeated innocently. "I've not worn any since I tried out that Adrien perfume."

He rolled his eyes. "That stuff was horrid. And totally not you."

I frowned, unable to recall him being around when I'd scored a bottle for my birthday from my parents. He was right, the scent had been less than stellar, but owing to the model who'd been prominently part of the promotion, it continued to be a top seller. "Thanks. I fear I've overdone this one."

"You didn't _need_ anything," he said honestly. "Your base scent is amazingly wonderful." He cautiously sniffed the air and grimaced. "Whatever you're wearing wipes it out completely," he added a bit sadly.

"Does it?" I said, trying to keep the smile from my face. "I didn't realize."


	10. Milestone

**Ten: Milestone**

Somewhat coincidentally, my sixteenth birthday fell on a Saturday and within a few days of what Chat and I considered to be our first anniversary as a couple. Honestly, we'd been friends far longer than that, but Chat had solemnly made the point that our relationship had become something deeper the summer before we'd transitioned to Lycée and the final stages of our pre-University education. It was the closest he'd come yet to admitting that he was likely a student in my school, and I prudently chose not to prod _too_ much.

That first year in Lycée had been somewhat rough for me; the demands of being Ladybug combined with the more rigorous curriculum for university-bound students had meant for long nights of homework, made only slightly more palatable by my cat-themed superhero tutor. It didn't matter the subject, Chat seemed to have a mastery of most scholastic topics that surprised me. Given how much time he spent with me (both as Marinette and fighting akumas as Ladybug), I was amazed he had time for school or studies.

Now that we were into our second year, it had surprised me that he'd chosen a similar track to me, though with a minor difference. Chat had been rather coy with his specific course selections, but as the first semester unwound, I saw he often had very similar assignments (despite his fairly decent attempts to disguise them). While I had two extra classes in fashion design, he seemed to have split topics, having one in fashion and one in financial markets. I found it an intriguing choice and knew that it was an insight into the boy beneath the mask and kitty ears.

_Boy_ wasn't quite right, now, though. I swiveled on my side, putting my stylus into my bun to observe my partner as he worked on something illuminated on his tablet. We were side-by-side on the rooftop patio, and as I took in the (very) fine details exposed by Chat's costume, I realized he'd filled out a bit. We'd both grown, of course, but he was now close to six feet tall and towered over me much as he always had. I assumed he was the same age as me – or within a year – but his face had taken on a more masculine, chiseled-jaw look that had attracted a new legion of followers on the Ladyblog.

Those six-pack abs that had appeared or the well-defined biceps that were even now flexing slightly as he tapped his stylus on the tablet might have had more to do with it. The seemingly never-ending battles with Hawkmoth and endless nights of roaming the rooftops of Paris to keep it protected appeared to have created quite the fitness regimen. I smiled slightly; I'd toned up quite a bit myself, and wondered if it had any sort of effect on Chat. There were times when I thought he was totally oblivious.

This apparently was not one of them, for he casually turned to his side and stretched, exposing those abs of his in the process. One thing was for sure: Chat knew his body, and exactly how to use his assets most effectively. Smiling, my eyes met his masked green ones then took in the playful smirk just below them. "Am I distracting you, Princess?" he asked innocently.

"No-" I started. But damn it if he didn't stretch _again_, this time a full-on feline affair, rippling from his head down to his boots. I swallowed. "Yes," I said honestly.

"Good," he laughed. In a blink of an eye, he'd curled himself around me, putting his head over mine and wrapping his arms around me. "I was getting a bit numb with my statistical analysis, anyway," he said as I felt the rumbles of his purring. His tail seemed to have playfully wrapped itself around an ankle.

"Oh... don't start that," I said. "And if you keep purring, I'll fall asleep. Again."

"You look exhausted, Mari," he said as he stepped up the purring. "Take a break."

"I've got too much to do," I said. "And-"

"And nothing. It's your birthday, anyway, so take a quick catnap. I'll wake you."

I fought it, but he was right. With the reassuring bulk of him wrapped around me, and as tired as I was, it took only a few minutes for me to doze off. I had no idea how long I was blissfully in dreamland, but the glorious smell of fine Italian food pulled me up through the layers of slumber. Blinking my eyes open, I found myself staring at Chat's masked green eyes; he was sideways, from my perspective, and wearing a playful smile.

"There you are," he said happily.

"Here I am," I agreed as I sat up. To my surprise, I was on a small bed of pillows, ringed with rose petals; looking wider, I realized we were on Chat's favorite rooftop, just a few blocks from the Bakery and facing Notre Dame. "Though not at the Bakery, it seems."

"No," he laughed as he held out a paw and walked me to the second set of pillows in the center. Roses were everywhere, and his candles were out, too, a nod to the fact that the sun was low on the horizon. Clearly, I'd snoozed through most of the day.

"Chat, this is beautiful," I said as I sat cross-legged beside him.

"It's just okay," he smiled. "_You_, on the other hand, are beautiful, and getting more so every day."

"Flatterer," I laughed. So, he had noticed after all.

"Yes," he replied. "Lasagna?"

Chat deftly dished out our meal and we ate companionably, chatting about everything and nothing. As the sun slowly sank out of view, Chat decanted more Perrier into my fluted glass and then tapped his to mine. "To a perfect year. And the smartest, most beautiful sixteen-year-old I know."

He was so genuine, and the sentiment so heartfelt, I felt my eyes watering. I sat my glass down and leaned across to wrap him in a hug. "Thank you for coming into my life, Chat," I whispered.

"My pawlesure," he quipped as he hugged me back. "Now, do you want your present?"

"Yes," I said as I sat back.

Chat smiled a smile I knew was mine and mine alone, then unzipped one of his costume pockets. Slowly, he pulled out a small envelope, then handed it to me. "Happy Birthday, Princess," he said.

I took the envelope and saw he'd printed my name on it in bold strokes. I flipped it over and smiled; he'd sealed the envelope with small sticker version of his insignia. I looked up, a question on my face.

"You can buy them on the internet," he shrugged. "I'm not as popular as Ladybug, though."

"I doubt that very much," I said.

He laughed. "Well, at least I have a fan club of one."

"What did you do?" I asked, holding out the envelope.

His masked eyes gleamed. "Keep going."

Slitting the seal but protecting the sticker, I upended the envelope; two tickets dropped into my hands. I turned them over and saw they were front row, VIP section seats for the Jagged Stone concert the following Thursday. My eyes shot up to his. "How on _earth_ did you get these? It's been sold out for months! I _design_ for Jagged and couldn't score any general admission tickets!"

He looked a bit sheepish. "I may or may not have had a paw in that," he laughed. "I asked him to hold off, after I explained that I'd bought these for you."

My jaw dropped. "You went to Jagged?"

"Yes," he smiled slyly. "He's a fan. And Ladybug and I have saved him a few times."

"But how...?" I looked back to the tickets, which clearly showed what they cost in Euros. "These are-"

"Mari," he said carefully, "you are more than worth it. I've been saving my... salary... for a bit and wanted to do this."

"Salary?" I arched an eyebrow.

He shrugged again. "I catch mice for people."

I smacked him in a bicep. "Right."

He laughed again before sliding down to his chest, head leaning on his paws. "So, who are you taking with you?" he asked, his boots in the air and his tail curled into a question mark.

"You, of course," I said.

Chat smiled sadly. "I'm not sure that's possible," he replied. "I'll stand out a bit too much."

"Oh," I said, knowing he was right.

"And I already have an… engagement that night. So," he asked again. "Who?"

"I don't know, honestly," I said as I tapped the tickets against the palm of my hand. "I'd ask Luka – he's an even bigger fan than I am - but Kitty Section is opening for Jagged so he'll already be there."

Something wafted across Chat's face at the mention of the blue-haired guitarist. "Bummer," he said, though the way he said it belied how he truly felt.

I smiled slightly. "Are you actually _jealous_?"

"Of course not," he said too quickly. His face flamed a bit as he looked away.

Feeling devilish but also ignoring the warning bells in the back of my head, I smiled wider. "You are."

His masked green eyes came back to mine. "Maybe a little," he said softly. "I think I expected you to say Alya, not pick my competition."

"Competition?" I asked, concerned. "How could you think that, Chat?" I reached a hand to his bicep. "We're good friends, for sure, but I picked you a long time ago."

Chat smiled wryly. "I have a bit of a complex when it comes to relationships," he said quietly. "All those years of Ladybug rejecting me have been hard to get over." He looked deeply into my eyes. "And maybe I still worry that having you in my life is too good to be true, and too easily able to be ripped away from me."

Despite knowing he'd taken out hundreds of akumas with little more that those claws of his, bad puns and a well-timed Cataclysm, Chat looked so vulnerable in his admission that I felt like I needed to reassure him. I leaned over and pulled him back into a hug, then kissed him deeply. Pulling back, I smiled as I ran a hand through his unkempt mane. "No one is going to replace you, Chat," I said.

He laughed. "That's good to know."

"Believe it, kitty," I said as I tapped him on a well-defined pectoral with a finger. "Get that straight in your fur brain."

"As you wish, Princess," he laughed. "But that brings us back to the original question. Who are you taking?"

I looked at my kitty and the proverbial light bulb went off. "You," I said.

"We've already discussed this," he reminded me. "I'll be kinda obvious."

"Maybe not," I smiled. "Just promise me you'll come."

"Princess-"

"_Promise_."

Chat sighed. "You know I can't refuse you anything, right?"

I knew my eyes were twinkling. "I do."


	11. Patterns

**Eleven: Patterns**

"Are you _certain_ this will work?" Chat asked.

"Yes," I said without a trace of doubt.

He was standing in my bedroom in front of the triple-angled mirror I used when I was working on new patterns, and was frowning deeply. He may have even been mewling under his breath. I had various pieces of gray fabric pinned around him and as he turned to see his back, he mewled louder. "I'm having some doubts."

"No kidding," I said as I pulled a pin from my supplies and adjusted something at his hip. "You've made that quite clear over the past hour. Now stop fidgeting!"

Chat instantly froze, reminding me yet again how perfect his body control was. I'd often thought his graceful movements bespoke a dance background, though when I'd ventured a question in that area, he'd only allowed in the vaguest of terms that he'd had some formal training when he was younger. "Could you at least make the fabric black?" he moaned. "This gray-"

"You're supposed to be hiding in plain sight, remember? If I use black to cover up black..."

He sighed. "You're right, of course."

"I am," I laughed. "This would go faster if you'd just accept that."

It took me another half hour to finish the adjustments to the garment I'd started to dream up on my birthday. My plan was to craft a special version of one of the Kitty Section outfits I'd designed for Luka and his band members; if I pulled it off, Chat would appear to be just another Kitty Section/Jagged Stone fan that had gone to some extremes to show their support. My hope was I'd be able to leave his feline ears and masked face as-is, but Chat was pretty recognizable.

My eyes flipped to the desk where a partially completed unicorn mask sat. Chat had seen it when he'd arrived and I knew from his eyes he'd instantly deduced what I was thinking; he was gentleman enough to refrain from commenting, though his anxiety appeared to have gone up a few notches.

"Okay," I said. "Give me a three-sixty, please, and then a bit of a catwalk."

Chat's mane snapped around. "Catwalk? Seriously?"

I laughed. "You should be a natural at it."

He got a weird look. "More than you realize," he smiled.

Slowly, he turned a full circle, expertly timing it to allow me to review my handiwork and make notes on what adjustments were still needed. Then, very carefully, he strode a few steps toward the windows along the street, paused, and then turned back, stopping just in front of me at a slight angle.

"How's that?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

"Breathtaking," I said.

"I've been known to have that effect on women," he chuckled as he pulled me into his arms.

"Careful!" I cried. "The pins!"

"Oh!" he said as he let me go reluctantly. "Sorry."

Carefully I peeled Chat out of the design and laid it out on the chaise. "All right, come back tonight for a final fitting."

Chat swooped down and planted a kiss on me. "I might be early," he warned me. "I've got a very tiny window of escape tonight. If I don't take it, I might not see you until tomorrow."

"Works for me." I glanced at the clock and groaned. We started a bit later at Lycée, which had allowed me to drag Chat over in the pre-dawn hours for the pattern test. Yawning, I added: "And now one of us is about to be late for class."

"Do you want—"

"No," I said quickly. "You've already given me a lift there one time to many. Alya nearly caught us last week."

He looked concerned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now go!"

He kissed me once more and then with a soft rustle of costume fabric, was gone through the skylight.

Not long afterward, I was hurrying down the sidewalk to school. I missed how close DuPont had been, especially on mornings such as that one when I was running hideous late.

Lycée was in a bigger building and felt far more institutional to me than the more cozy DuPont had been. That impression was aided in part by the massive griffins that flanked the stone staircase into the main part of the school; it also lacked the interior courtyard.

Dashing up the steps, I looked up and saw Adrien was but a half step ahead of me. It was so unusual to see his well coiffed blonde head scurrying to make first bell that I let out a startled gasp.

He looked over his shoulder, and grinned as he paused. "Late, too?" he asked.

"Overslept. Again."

"Same," he laughed. "Luka has us doing extra reps on the playlist for tomorrow night."

I held the door for him as we inserted ourselves into the flow of late students gumming up the hallway. "I'm glad you're still part of the band."

Adrien shrugged. "I play when I can. Father still has me on a tight leash; eighteen can't come fast enough."

I smiled. I might no longer be crushing on him, but that didn't mean I wasn't still following his career as a supermodel. I'd hidden the latest swimsuit calendar in my desk drawer, somewhat concerned Chat might misinterpret my desire to stay on top of current trends as something else entirely.

But damn. Adrien looked good in—

"Mari?"

With a start I realized Adrien had been talking to me. "Sorry," I grinned. "Little spacey today."

He laughed. "I asked if you'd gotten your tickets to Jagged yet?"

Blushing slightly, I nodded.

"Awesome," he smiled as we pushed into our home room and settled in for a long day.

My mind had trouble focusing on coursework, so much so that I excused myself from Alya and our lunch plans so I could take a few quiet moments under a tree at a nearby park. Back against the trunk, I had my sketches out for Chat's costume and started plotting out some of the final accoutrements and embellishments.

"You should leave the bell exposed," I heard from above. "It'll look like part of what you've designed."

Sighing, I looked up with a smile to see my kitty was hanging upside down from the branch above me. "How long have you been up there?"

"I was here first," he laughed. "I'm having trouble on an… assignment and needed to clear my head."

He effortlessly flipped out and landed in a crouch beside me. "It was happy luck that you chose my tree."

I quickly scanned the park and saw that none of my classmates appeared near at hand. It occurred to me Chat would have done the same before revealing himself. "Keep the bell?"

"Yes. It'll go better with the unicorn mask I know you're going to make me wear."

"I've not made up my mind on that."

"You will," he grinned as he cocked his head and flicked his ears. "These are pretty unique babies and easily recognizable."

"I don't suppose you could transform without them? Just once?"

He looked thoughtful. "I've never tried. They're such a part of me, I'm not sure I could. But I'll ask—I mean, give it a shot later. It might be safer to assume I can't, though."

I nodded. "What if I add a few more bells?" I asked. "Smaller, of course, but spaced here… and here?"

Chat peered over my shoulder and purred. "I like it." He looked back, and smiled. "It's me without being me."

"Good."

Popping open his baton, Chat looked at his phone. "Well, catnap time is over for me. Time to go roust a few birds."

"I thought you were allergic to feathers?" I teased as I packed up.

Chat looked at me. "I am, actually. How did you know that?"

Flushing, it occurred to me that Ladybug was the only other person who knew about his feather allergy. We'd managed to keep Alya in the dark so it wouldn't be posted on her blog – and used against Chat by some future akuma. "I think you mentioned it? A while ago?"

He smiled but still had that expression. "Must have," he laughed. "Probably good you know actually. It'll ensure you don't glue feathers to my Kitty Section costume."

"Exactly," I replied as I kissed him. "See you later?"

"I wouldn't miss it," he said as he leapt into the sky and disappeared as he ran along the rooftops ringing the park.

The afternoon went by in a blink of an eye; somehow, I managed to once more find myself following Adrien, this time out and down the steps to the sidewalk. "So, here we are again," I laughed when his green eyes met mine.

"We have to stop meeting like this," he replied, those eyes of his dancing merrily. "I suppose you're off to get our costumes finished for Thursday?"

"Yeah," I said. "Final fittings are tonight over at the houseboat. Will you be there?"

Adrien frowned. "I'm not sure yet. I've been trying to get out of my photo shoot but Father has been less amenable to my cancellations as of late." He smiled and patted his stomach. "Fortunately, Father's 'model diet' has kept me pretty consistent. You won't need to make any changes to mine I suspect."

I automatically followed his motion and saw the hint of those abs that were barely hidden by his form-fitting t-shirt. I hated how my friend was forced to be a walking advertisement for his Father's company. "Probably true," I agreed. "Still, I hope you can get there."

"I wouldn't miss it – any chance to hang with everyone is a good afternoon for me." He smiled again and then traipsed to his waiting bodyguard and the parked sedan at the curb.

I waved as he slipped into the sedan, and then seemed to channel thirteen-year-old me and stood there to watch him pull away. Adrien was a good friend – one of my closest, in fact – and there were still times when my old feelings for him flared up.

They were fewer and far between these days, but today, after two chance encounters, I realized as nice as it would be to see Adrien later at the houseboat, I was _really _looking forward to seeing Chat at the Bakery much later.

And that was the truth.


	12. Raw Emotions

**Twelve: Raw Emotions**

"That should about do it," I said a few hours later as I stood up and admired my handiwork.

Adrien was standing in front of the mirror Luka had propped up against the mast of the Couffaine's marvelously eclectic houseboat and subtly twisted left and then right. "Are you sure about this fabric?" he asked. "Grey isn't really my color. I usually go for black."

"Totally," I said as I packed away the last of my sewing notions. "You look good in it."

He frowned a bit dubiously. "This is some of your best work," he said as he twisted a bit more. Adrien then flexed slightly, carefully watching how the stretchy fabric I'd used reacted. Whatever he'd been looking for, it seemed to satisfy him and I saw him smile briefly. "And far be it for me to argue with the best designer in Paris."

"Wise," I laughed.

He looked at me in the mirror and smiled. "I'm glad I was able to escape," he said as he moved behind the screen and began changing back into his street clothes. Aside from Luka, the rest of the band members had come and gone; Adrien had appeared at nearly the eleventh hour, and on foot no less.

"Me too," I chuckled. "Will you be in trouble?"

"No," he replied. "Gorilla and I have a bit of an understanding now. Anytime I need to get away, he drops me off at Trocadero and spends the evening at the movies."

That made me pause. "I can't picture your bodyguard in a theater."

The merry sound of Adrien's laughter filled the air. "I know, right? But he has a soft spot for musicals. Who knew."

His blond head poked around the corner as he gently handed me the costume. "I'll work on this tonight," I told him as I folded it into my bag.

Adrien started to say something but paused, his eyes traveling over my shoulder. Before I could turn, Luka had put an affectionate hand on my shoulder.

"Can I tempt you with dinner, my beautiful symphony?" Luka asked in that perpetual Zen manner he had.

I began to answer, but caught myself, for I could have sworn Adrien had let out a low growl. "Didn't you say you were meeting someone, Mari?" he asked, his eyes firmly on Luka.

My eyes widened as I looked between my two friends. I'm not certain how I had missed it, but a definite undercurrent of emotion was there. "Did I?" I asked. It had been a long afternoon, so it was quite possible I'd let slip I was meeting someone. Hopefully I'd not said who.

"Yes." Adrien suddenly didn't appear to have any desire to finish changing in private; in fact, he stepped out from behind the screen clad in only his jeans, fully revealing the muscled torso I'd been ogling hours earlier at school. Wearing a kind smile that didn't meet his eyes, Adrien deliberately pulled his snug t-shirt on while standing less than a meter in front of me.

"Knowing Marinette, I'm sure she has time for a quick bite," Luka said calmly, but the slight tensing of his fingers at my shoulder bespoke a different emotion as he stared down Adrien.

The spike in testosterone was palpable. I looked between my two friends of many years; it was easier to explain Luka's actions, for I knew he still had feelings for me, despite the fact I had repeatedly told him I was off the market. But it was harder to fathom Adrien's barely concealed aggression, for up to now, he'd firmly had me in the friend zone. And yet, here I appeared to be, caught in the middle of some sort of bizarre teen mating ritual.

I laughed a bit nervously in an attempt to take the temperature down a few degrees. While it was true I was meeting Chat later for his own fitting, I'd so far managed to keep the particulars of our relationship off the radar of my friends and had no desire to come clean with these two – especially given how they appeared to be metaphorically circling each other.

So a comfortable half truth, then.

"I've got to get back to the Bakery," I laughed again. "I'll have these to the concert before you go onstage."

Luka smiled but looked concerned in the soft way he could. "You could use a break. Stay for dinner," he encouraged, gently gripping at the shoulder.

"She has to go," Adrien said. It came out with a quiet dangerousness that made me snap my head around in his direction. His green eyes were narrowed, and he'd closed the distance between us – enough that I could pick up the faint scent of his cologne. "I was just about to offer her a ride anyway."

"That's not necess-"

Moving faster than I thought was possible, Adrien snatched up the bags from around my feet and gently propelled me toward the gangway. "It's no problem at all," he said pleasantly, adding with a look over his shoulder at Luka, "especially given all of your burdens to carry."

Luka followed a half step. "Are you sure, Marinette?" he asked me pointedly.

Adrien whirled, firmly placing his body between me and Luka. "She is," he growled, and this time it _was_ a growl.

"Adrien!" I hissed. "What's gotten into you?" I looked to Luka. "To both of you, for that matter!"

Luka stepped backwards, holding his hands up. "I seem to be playing from different sheet music," he said, laughing slightly; it was a hollow emotion. "My apologies."

Sensing the shift in the situation, Adrien relaxed slightly but remained between us. "The chords are the same," he said to Luka, "but one of us picked the wrong instrument."

This time, Luka smiled; it was not as warm a one as I normally saw from him, which troubled me. "I'll get it right next time. See you tomorrow night, Marinette."

I waved at Luka as Adrien turned toward me and started back up the gangway; I swore he muttered under his breath as he tugged me along in his wake, "Not while I'm around."

I let him lead me off the boat and a short way down the sidewalk before planting my feet. "What the hell was that all about?" I asked firmly.

Adrien took a few more steps before stopping and turning. "I... I don't know," he said as he kept his back to me. I could see he'd slumped a bit though. Turning back, I caught a slight flush to his cheeks. "All of us know you're seeing someone, though you've been a but coy about _who_ it is," he started.

I smiled. "That much hasn't been a secret," I laughed.

"Well, regardless, it pissed me off to see Luka making a pass at you. He knows better."

"It was just an offer for dinner," I replied.

"Dinner," Adrien fairly snorted.

I found my eyebrows going up. "I never thought of you as the protective type," I added. "But I am perfectly capable of handling Luka. Or _anyone_ for that matter."

"I know that, intellectually," he smiled sheepishly. "But when there are hormones involved..."

"Ah," I laughed. "Well, there's that." I made a point of looking up and down the street. "Your car appears to be missing," I observed.

Flaming a bit more, Adrien coughed. "I, uh, took the Metro."

"You said-"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "A tiny white lie; Gorilla couldn't help me escape this afternoon, which is why I was late arriving. Come on, I'll-" he started before his phone chirped. Sliding it out of his pocket, he tapped it and frowned as he scrolled the message that had come in. "Well, that seals it," he said as he slid it back into his pocket.

"What?" I asked.

"Luka's made a last-minute change to our playlist," Adrien explained. "He won't need a keyboardist after all."

My jaw dropped, horrified that Luka would retaliate in such a manner. "That's insane! Just because I let you lead me away from dinner?"

"It's all right," Adrien said; he seemed to have a shadow of a smile. "Actually, it's probably for the best. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get away from the mansion anyway."

"But-"

"Don't worry, Marinette," he said, his tone indicating he wasn't willing to discuss this point any further. "Let's get these costumes back to your Bakery and then I'll get out of your hair."

The walk wasn't that far, given the houseboat was along the same canal that our Bakery fronted. Adrien and I kept up a reasonably good pace and took great pains to talk about anything other than the uncomfortable confrontation that had taken place. Once we were at the Bakery, Adrien helped me carry everything to my room, and then quickly excused himself.

"I need to head back," he explained. "Without my bodyguard running interference, I may be missed."

"All right," I said. "Thanks for your help."

"My paw—pleasure," he said as he started down the steps below my trapdoor.

I blinked. "Hey - was that a cat pun?" I asked his receding head.

Adrien popped back up. "Pardon?"

"What you just said. Were you trying for a cat pun?"

He looked at me, confused. "I'm not sure what you mean," he said, arching an eyebrow.

I shook my head; clearly, I was already mentally shifting gears for my next visitor. "I must have heard you incorrectly – sorry."

"Of course," he smiled and then was gone.

Having no real idea when Chat would appear, I set about unpacking the costumes for Kitty Section and started in on the final adjustments I needed to make. I made it through Ivan's changes and was halfway through Luka's when I must have nodded off at my sewing table.

A gentle nudging at my shoulder rousted me, and I turned to see Chat perched on top of my sewing desk and smirking. "You really do put your all into everything, don't you?" he said as I sat up.

"I do," I yawned as I stretched. "You're late. And on my desk. Get off, please."

"I'm not late, actually," he replied, smirking wider (if that was possible) as he pointedly ignored my request. "I've been here since nineteen-hundred. I knocked at the skylight multiple times and wound up ringing the doorbell downstairs. You were out like a lightbulb when I arrived, so I let you snooze."

My eyes flew to my phone, then flew wider to see it was close to midnight. Groaning, I slumped back down on the desk. "I'm going to have to pull an all-nighter now."

"Then it's good I brought this," Chat smiled as he slid his paw slightly and revealed two mugs bearing the logo of the Bakery. "I had to beg your father to fire up the steamer but persuaded him it was an emergency. I present to you one double-chocolate latte."

"My hero," I swooned as I grabbed the mug and took a sip. It was still quite hot, but I took another long sip and felt the sugar begin to work its way into my system. "How long can you stay?"

"As long as you need," he said as he took a healthy swig from his coffee, which I assumed was straight black per usual. "Finish Kitty Section first; I can wait."

My eyes flicked to the mass of fabric in the corner of my room. "Are you sure? It could be a while."

Chat's eyes danced with merriment. "For you, Princess, I would wait until the end of time."

I laughed as I started back in on Luka's costume. "Good, for it might just come to that."


	13. Raw Nerves

**Thirteen: Raw Nerves**

Even Chat's super-stamina flagged around three in the morning; I'd caught my second wind and had finished all of the changes for Kitty Section, but when I turned to get Chat into his costume for the final fitting, I found he'd curled himself into a tiny ball on the chaise and was softly snoring, the bell on his chest gently rising and falling with each breath. Somehow, he'd managed a standard cat position, with his head upon his paws, knees tucked under his chin. And Chat's face had the most serene, angelic look to it in repose, the wide swath of his black mask accentuating the softness of his exposed skin.

I was tempted to snap a photo on my phone, and initially thought better of it. Maybe it was the late hour, or the sugar high I was coming off of (for Chat had apparently received some training from my father and had been ensuring a steady supply of double-chocolate lattes were in my hands all evening); whatever it was, I grabbed my phone and snapped a series of photos of my kitty blissfully asleep from just about every angle. I must have spent a good ten minutes documenting my slumbering boyfriend, and then sat back in my chair to review the new album I'd created. Casting caution to the wind, I chose a particularly good shot of Chat and made it my new lock screen.

Putting my phone aside (after noting it was now closing in on three-thirty), I knew I had a decision to make. I needed to either wake my kitty and slog through the changes for his costume, or follow Chat's lead and catch a couple of hours of shuteye so I'd be able to function in class. Somewhat. My eyes flicked to Chat, and the decision was easy; a moment later, I'd managed to curl myself into him and fell fast asleep.

It felt like only a minute had passed when the alarm on my phone started to shriek; my eyes snapped open only to realize it was actually Chat's baton, and he was already extricating himself from both me and the chaise. "Princess," he said, wide awake and all business, "I've got to go. Please stay here until you get the all clear."

My fuzzy brain took another moment to register it was the akuma alert I had heard; I nodded to him as he quickly vaulted from the chaise and up through the skylight. After all of our time together, I'd learned it was easier to have him think I was staying put so he'd actually leave me alone long enough to transform.

I waited a few moments, and then called for my transformation; poor Tikki had spent the night in my purse and looked a little sleepy when she phased into my earrings. Once the glow of transformation faded, I followed Chat and tried to ignore the fact my phone said it was barely four-thirty. I detested the early morning akumas Hawkmoth threw at us every so often; consequently, I was in a foul mood when I reached Chat outside of the Louvre entrance plaza.

"Milady," he smiled. Seeing him under the lights of the plaza accentuated how tired he was, too, making me realize the two of us had been quite literally burning the candle at both ends. "Despite the early hour, it looks it's an old friend."

"Seriously?" I groaned, and looked across Chat to see Mister Pigeon had yet again rounded up the birds of Paris. "I feel like there is some sort of message here."

"Other than Hawkmoth preys on the weakest among us," Chat replied, narrowing his eyes. "That's not exactly a newsflash."

"I'm not sure that's entirely true, Chat," I said. "There have been some pretty strong people, too. They just were having really bad days."

"I suppose," Chat allowed. "Guess I'm not feeling charitable at four in the morning. This little stunt pulled me out of my girlfriend's arms," he added as he shot a sly look at me.

For a moment, I wasn't entirely sure how to respond, seeing as though I was the girl in question. "Serves you right," I said, deciding for snark. "It is a school night, after all."

His head snapped toward me. "If I went to school," he said carefully.

"I don't have time for this," I said crossly. "Let's get this over with and then we can get back to bed."

It was too easy for Chat, and he pounced. "I'm happy to join you, Milady—"

The yo-yo flew from my hand and bonked him between the ears; normally it was enough to persuade him to quit his antics. This time around, though, my general displeasure at being summoned so early had been channeled into massive wallop. Chat had enough time to look at me in surprise before both paws went to his head and he sank to his knees on the paving stones; his baton fell to the ground and rolled away from him with a metallic clink-clink.

"What was that for?" he mewled through gritted teeth, his masked eyes narrowed accusingly. It was clear I'd hit him pretty hard.

Immediately I dropped to his side, swearing and ignoring Mister Pigeon. "I'm so sorry, Chat," I said, pulling his head into my chest. "I'm a little cranky this morning."

"I'll say," Chat replied, his voice muffled by the fabric of my costume. He pushed back a bit, still grimacing and furiously rubbing where I'd hit him. "I might consent to a spray bottle of water after this."

"Or you could just behave yourself," I reminded him.

"I thought I'd been pretty good, Milady," was his rejoinder.

Sitting there together, I realized I'd hurt him more than physically, for he was right; as of late, he'd not flirted at nearly the same level he once had, owing to his relationship with Marinette. I pulled him into a gentle but firm (and hopefully plutonic-feeling) hug. Oddly, he squirmed a bit.

"I'm sorry, kitty, truly sorry," I whispered into his feline ear as I rocked him slightly. "You've been as much of an angel as a crafty black cat could be; it's not been lost on me how hard you've been trying."

"Mmmph," was his reply as he attempted to push away from me.

"Sorry?" I said, releasing him suddenly.

He fell back gasping. "First you hit me over the head, then you try to smother me," he tried to laugh, between massive gulps of air. "If this is how you treat the people close to you..." he joshed.

I felt my cheeks flaming. Prudently, I changed subjects. "Let's take care of Mister Pigeon, shall we?"

"Just as soon as I only see one of them," Chat replied, squinting.

I sighed. "I'm not going to live this one down, am I?"

"Nope," he laughed.

We made short work of Monsieur Ramier and opted not to allow him to purchase breakfast for us, though Chat's stomach did let out a massive rumble while we discussed it. Once we'd sent him on his way, I paused before leaping away. "How's your head?" I asked.

"I have a lump, believe it or not," he said, frowning. "It didn't disappear when you called your Miraculous Cure. I have to admit to being a bit worried it will be visible when I transform."

"Lean down," I said, and Chat lowered his head. I parted his wild mane with my gloved hand and found to my horror a bit of a goose egg right where I'd nailed him. "Holy kwami," I breathed. "Well, your hair hides it-"

Chat pulled back suddenly. "Right," he smiled but it was perfunctory. "I've gotta scat," he saluted as his ring chirped. "Later."

And with that, he was gone, leaving me standing in the middle of the Louvre plaza in the pre-dawn. I stared after his departing form, stymied for a moment before realizing there was a real chance he'd recharge and double back to the Bakery to ensure I was safe. Hurriedly, I tossed my yo-yo to the sky and sailed into the early morning; despite the insistent chirping of my earrings, I took the cautious step of landing a rooftop near the Bakery to survey the scene, and to my horror, saw Chat landing in a crouch on the patio of the Bakery.

Swearing again, I leapt over the edge of the building and landed in the alleyway beside the bakery, dropping my transformation as I ran for the door of the residence. Which was locked. Frantically, I looked at my kwami who rolled her tiny eyes and phased through the door; a moment later, I heard the latch open and I pushed through, bolting up the stairs and through the next door into the kitchen.

My father turned from where he was brewing a cup of coffee, surprise on his face. "Marinette? Were you out?"

Being bakers, both of my parents were generally up well before sunrise, a key fact I had forgotten. Wondering how much worse the day was going to be, I suppressed a groan. "I thought I heard something in the alley," I explained, trying to keep the lie from showing on my face. "Like a cat. Or a dog."

Papa looked at me askance. "A stray?"

"Yes," I nodded vigorously, wondering how much Chat was overhearing. "There was an... akuma alert, and I wanted to make sure it was safe."

Chat cleared his throat, and the two of us turned to see him leaning against the stairway railing, paws folded and tail twisting with displeasure. Even his ears were askew. "Did you find it?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"Chat?"

"Princess," he said, eyes narrowing further. "I thought I told you to stay inside."

"You were here?" This was from my father. "All night?"

Both Chat and I swung around to face my father.

Chat spoke first, all traces of his displeasure with me washed away; instead, a slight flush appeared on his cheeks. "Actually, I was here all night, yes, Monsieur Dupain-Cheng." Pausing, he swallowed before continuing. "I'm sorry, I should have sought permission first."

"It was my fault," I stepped in. "I'm making him an outfit for the concert tonight, and it's taking me longer than I expected. He... was a trooper, waiting for me, and fell asleep on the chaise."

Papa looked at Chat again. "Uh, if it helps... the, uh, costume can't come off," he added, his face flushing a deep crimson.

I tried very hard not to laugh at his discomfort.

My father turned back to me. "I would have preferred you'd asked first, of course, but..." he started, before turning back to Chat. "You're family, now, Chat. Sabine and I trust you; please know, you are always welcome in our home."

Chat let out the breath I knew he'd been holding and smiled. "You don't know how much that means to me, Monsieur," he said happily.

"Call me Tom, Chat," he smiled.

"Yes, Mon—Tom," Chat said.

I kissed Papa. "We'll get out of your hair," I said as I hurried to Chat and tugged him up the steps to my room. As we ascended, I whispered: "Did you have to tell him about the suit?"

Chat groaned. "I was floundering a bit," he admitted. "It seemed like something he might want to know. I got the distinct impression he thought I was... perhaps..." Chat coughed. "You know. With his daughter."

We paused on the landing below my trapdoor and I tried to mask my humor at his continuing discomfort. Chat was every inch a proper gentleman, and had never made an untoward advance; I also knew that despite all of the flirting and endless innuendo, he accepted I wasn't even remotely ready to take our relationship to a more, shall we say, intimate level – and, as he had already freely admitted to me, neither was he. I was quite comfortable that he'd never force the issue, either.

"Hence telling him about the suit," I supplied.

"Exactly." He smiled sheepishly. "Nothing wrong with the truth."

"No," I agreed.

We started up the trapdoor to my room when Chat's stomach let out another massive rumble. I paused and turned back toward him and sighed. "I don't have enough time to feed you and get you fitted," I said.

Chat looked torn; normally, he wouldn't turn down a chance for food, but he also knew how much work was left on his costume. He sighed. "Let's do this," he said after a moment. "I... I got injured a bit during the akuma attack and think I'm going to lay low. If you can get back here for lunch, I'll make sure I'm ready and waiting. If that's enough time for you?"

My eyes widened, for that told me my little yo-yo attack had persisted through transformation. I resisted the urge to reach up and look for the bump. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," he smiled. "My quick-healing will take care of it, but I just need some time to recover."

I nodded. "Yeah, I can make the final changes over lunch."

He followed me up into the room and then started up the ladder to the skylight. "Good," he smiled again. "Then I'll be here on your roof at lunch."

"Chat - wait!" I said, catching his tail.

He frowned. "You know I hate-" he started before I yanked.

Chat was strong enough that he could have prevented himself from being pulled backwards, and into my arms; he didn't, of course, allowing me to plant a kiss on his lips, silencing his objections. He smiled as we pulled away from each other. "You needed a proper goodbye, kitty," I reminded him.

"Indeed I did," he laughed as he saluted and then vaulted into the early dawn.


	14. Final Fitting or Fitting Finale?

**Fourteen: Final Fitting or Fitting Finale?**

No amount of caffeine was capable of keeping me focused; about the only thing that resonated with me prior to lunch was the notable absence of Adrien. Pulling up his schedule on my tablet (yes, I found I still kept track of it), I verified he'd not had a photoshoot or some other oddball activity. Given how rarely he had been out of school, it was an oddity that required follow-up.

As we switched classes for the final period prior to lunch, I slipped into a side corridor and dug out my phone, intending to text Adrien. My eyes fell on the new lock screen of Chat, though, and with a smile, I speed-dialed him instead.

Not expecting him to pick up, I was surprised when his masked visage appeared. "Purrincess," he smiled slyly. "Can't wait until lunch, I see."

"Likewise," I laughed, "seeing as though you answered on my first ring. Are you already at the Bakery?"

"Not yet," he said, looking away for a moment. It took a second for me to realize he was perched someplace high, given how the wind was ruffling his out-of-control mane. "But I can be there in less than five minutes." Chat looked back at me, the sly expression back. "Are you planning on cutting class?"

"Absolutely not," I replied. "But I wonder if you might do me a favor."

"Anything, Mari."

"My classmate is out today and I'm a bit worried. He never misses school, ever, unless it's because his dismal excuse for a father has him out on a photo shoot."

Chat's expression shifted so quickly, I nearly missed it. "You want me to do a welfare check?" he asked jovially, face recomposed perfectly. "I can do that. Who is it?"

"Adrien Agreste? The supermodel?" I said, then gave him the address for the mansion. "If it's not too much trouble," I added.

"Not a problem at all. I'll swing by and then see you at the Bakery later." He saluted and then his image went dark.

Tapping my phone against my chin, I was reasonably sure my mentioning Adrien had triggered something for my kitty and found myself slightly worried about Chat paying him a visit; not wanting a repeat of the houseboat incident with yet _another_ boy, I filed it away for later with the intent of setting Chat straight.

I made it through the final period prior to lunch, and in the interests of maximizing my time with Chat, I broke one of my personal rules and slipped out of class a few minutes early, dashed out the massive front doors, down the steps past the griffins and around into a side alley. Breaking another personal rule, I transformed and quickly leapt into the sky, soaring over the rooftops of Paris toward the Bakery.

Once more, I carefully avoided the rooftop patio and landed in the alley instead, dropped my transformation and slipped into the residence.

Maman was in the kitchen. "He's in your bedroom, dear," she said without turning from the counter. "I sent him up with lunch," she added as she finished chopping some carrots and slid them off the cutting board and into a waiting pot.

I kissed her on the cheek and hurried up the steps, thankful I'd not chosen the skylight for once. Chat was lounging on the chaise twirling his tail in one paw when I pushed through the trap door, one arm casually resting on his angled knee. His feline ears had clearly heard my approach, and a wide smile greeted me as I came into the room. "Purrincess."

My eyes fell on the two empty plates at his boots, then turned back toward him. "Chat—"

"On your desk," he laughed as he inclined his wild mane in that direction. "Your mother thinks I'm too skinny," he explained as I turned and saw a plate heaped with munchables waiting for me.

"You are," I agreed as I grabbed a slice of baguette that had already been buttered.

"I burn a _ton_ of calories as Chat," he replied defensively.

"I'm sure you do," I teased. "Okay, lets get to it…"

Chat leapt off the chaise and landed behind the screen, which wasn't strictly necessary, given how his outfit for the concert had been tailored to fit over his Chat costume. I'd left it hanging for him and heard the rustle of fabric as he slid into the costume. "I swung by that Agreste kid's house like you asked," he said as he changed.

"And?"

"Nothing extraordinary – he apparently was in a hurry to get home last night and missed a step on the Metro. His father insisted he stay home to ice it and rest so he can do a photo shoot this weekend."

My impression of Adrien's father sunk lower. "Really."

Chat chuckled, a merry sound that resonated in my room and warmed my soul. "I barely know Adrien and already despise his father. He looked so bummed out about missing school, I nearly offered to break him out."

"Could you?" I asked suddenly. "Break him out?"

I wasn't certain but thought Chat suddenly swore under his breath. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," he said as he came around the screen, pulling the last arm of his outfit over his Chat costume. "He doesn't seem the type to cross his father in that manner."

I motioned for Chat to move over to the mirror as I pulled out my sewing kit. "He mentioned the other day how he was looking forward to turning eighteen," I mused as I put a hand on his shoulder and twisted him.

Chat murmured something but I was focused on how the costume-over-the-costume had fit. I'd used a stretchy Lycra-type fabric and could see it had become nearly a second skin over his Chat outfit, which was by design; Chat had insisted on complete freedom of movement, which was almost impossible using the fabric I normally worked with for the band. The shimmery gray fabric had been overprinted with a shadowy pattern, again by design, for it helped to blend away the pips and piping from his actual costume.

It didn't hurt, however, that it seemed to accentuate every curve and ripple of his toned and well-muscled body – lines that were clearly present in his normal costume but perhaps not as visible owing to the dark fabric. I caught my breath. "This might be a problem," I said quietly.

Chat looked at me with concern. "What's wrong?" he asked as he twisted away from the mirror.

"I didn't think it was possible, but this is almost _more_ revealing than your normal outfit," I said.

"Oh," Chat said as he turned back to the mirror. I watched as the color rose a bit on his face. "I, uh, see you point," he coughed.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "Looks like you were right, black is a better color for you."

He stepped off the dais in front of the mirror and turned to me, putting a paw on my shoulder. "This will be just fine," he smiled warmly. "It'll be dark, and once you glue on your embellishments no one will give me a second look."

I reappraised his outfit and could see he had a point. "Try this, then," I said as I handed him the finished unicorn mask.

He rolled it around in his paws, arching a masked eyebrow. "This is more like a cowl," Chat observed.

"Flip it over," I said, smiling.

Chat upended it and whistled. "You embedded holes for my ears," he said appreciatively, "and I can see how you've added screening so I can still use them." He smiled wider as he pulled the cowl over his ears and settled it over his face. "You've made the eye holes wider for me, too."

"Yes," I said proudly. "I can't hide that wild mane of yours," I added, a hand reaching out to try and tuck a massive tuft of blond hair under an edge, "but I think the overall effect works."

"I agree," Chat nodded, as he took a full turn in front of the mirror. "Okay, when do you want me?"

"I have to be to the venue by eighteen-hundred," I said.

"I'll be here ahead, then," he said as he moved back behind the screen. "Once I've got this baby on, I can help you get the costumes over there if you like."

"That would be divine," I said. "I was actually going to ask Alya to help but since you're coming anyway, that works better." I paused suddenly. "Wait."

"Wait, what?" Chat replied.

"How will I introduce you?" I asked, sinking into my chair. "I never thought about that. Alya is going to want to know who you are."

His masked face poked out from behind the screen, grinning slyly. "I did warn you," he cackled.

"Not helpful," I cried, tossing a ball of yarn at him. It bounced fairly close to where I'd hit him with the yo-yo, and Chat grimaced slightly but covered it quickly.

"All right," he said, though his masked green eyes had followed the ball of yarn to where it had come to rest in the far corner of my room. "How about this. I'm a student you met last summer at that – what was that fashion boot camp you did?"

"Designer Divas and Model Dudes," I said.

"Right," he groaned. "Well, I can work with that. I was one of the 'dudes' and you found out I go to a Lycée in another part of Paris."

"I don't know if I want to go there," I mused. "Me dating a model is too close to Alya's original attempt to hook me up with Adrien."

Chat chuckled. "I, for one, am glad that didn't work out."

"Me too," I said as I encircled him with my arms. "I mean, don't get me wrong, Adrien is a great friend." I paused, thoughtful. "He was acting a bit strange earlier."

"Was he?" Chat replied. I couldn't help but notice his masked feline eyes kept darting to the ball of yarn. "How so?"

"He took exception with Luka hitting on me," I replied, watching Chat's expression closely.

His eyes flicked back to mine. "Luka did _what?" _ he growled, masked eyes narrowing.

I felt a bemused expression appear on my face. "Funny, Adrien had the same reaction-"

Chat's eyes widened and then darted back to the yarn; a fraction of a second later, he let out a small yelp and leapt out of my arms, flipped twice to the corner of my room and pounced on the ball of yarn. Within moments, he'd gotten it entangled in his claws, sending fuzzy filaments floating into the air in the process.

"Chat!" I cried.

"Sorry," he laughed, wearing a chagrined expression as he looked up at me from his back. "There are a few cat-tendencies that are occasionally hard to ignore."

"Clearly," I laughed as I knelt beside him and tried to untangle him. "I'd love to see what catnip does to you."

His masked feline eyes went wide. "No," he said, dead seriously, "you don't."


	15. Backstage Jealousy

**Fifteen: Backstage Jealousy**

We arrived at what passed for the stage entrance at the massive outdoor venue for the Jagged Stone concert a little more than two hours before Kitty Section was to take the stage. I flashed my official crew pass Jagged had personally given me and the two of us headed into the rabbit warren of temporary structures housing everything from the performers to their supporting hair and makeup technicians. Chat hefted all of my bags with ease, and wearing his Kitty Section-inspired costume, surprisingly blended in completely and didn't attract any undue attention.

I was particularly pleased that I'd even managed to hide his tail, which he'd insisted on wearing on the off-chance Hawkmoth reared his ugly head. ("You wouldn't _believe_ how many times Ladybug has needed it for a Lucky Charm," he'd told me, and I couldn't disagree.) About the only thing that _could've_ given him away were those distinct feline eyes of his, still visible through the eye slots of the unicorn mask. Chat had been practicing keeping his face angled in such a way that no one would get a direct look at him if there was enough light; he'd made the point that in the darkness of the venue, it wouldn't be as much of an issue – though he was a bit concerned about the slight glow his eyes gave off.

Luka and the band were housed in the smallest tent furthest from the stage; it took two stops to ask for directions before we finally located them. Luka met us at the flap. "A bit humbling," he said apologetically as he bowed us into the crowded space.

"You're still opening for Jagged, Luka," I reminded him as I leaned up and gave him a quick hug.

"There's that," Luka laughed.

To my surprise, I heard Chat growling. It was low enough that someone not listening for it might miss it; I casually turned to take one of the bags from Chat and shot him a _cease and desist_ look, all the while wondering why the men in my life were suddenly acting so strangely. Chat narrowed his eyes but complied, perhaps in part due to my withering glare.

We were going to have to talk.

Chat seemed on the verge of saying something but decided to change directions. Plastering his cheesiest Chat grin on his face, he held out the remaining bags. "These are yours, I believe," he said. Amazingly, he'd managed to change his accent and pitch his voice a bit.

"Thanks, friend," Luka replied with that half smile of his. "You must be the special song in Marinette's heart," he continued, making no attempt to disguise his curiosity.

"Yes," Chat nodded. Surprisingly, he left it at that, though his masked eyes didn't move from Luka.

"You're a fan?" Luka asked as he pulled his own costume out and slipped behind the small screen that passed for a changing room.

"I am," Chat said, looking at me. His eyes were dancing dangerously.

I arched an eyebrow and mouthed, _what?_

Chat again started to say something and seemed to think better of it. "I'll be outside," he said before quickly ducking out of the tent.

Luka came around the screen with an arched eyebrow. "A man of few words," he laughed.

"Not normally, believe me. I think he's starstruck," I offered, trying to explain away Chat's chilly behavior with a smile.

"I didn't realize you went for the strong, silent type," he teased, "but if you're happy, I'm happy that you're happy."

"I am," I assured him, placing a fond hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel about me, Luka," I said. "But as you might say, we're in different keys – one sharp, one flat."

Luka smiled wider. "And yet I am still rubbing off on you."

I nodded. "I do care for you; I hope you know that." I waited for a beat. "But that scene on the boat? And then kicking Adrien off the band?" I shook my head. "That's not the Luka I know."

"Not my finest hour. Or finest days, for that matter," he frowned. Luka's eyes flicked to the tent entrance. "I guess, until I saw your friend tonight, I didn't truly believe you'd found someone. That it was just something you told us to keep us out of your life."

"Luka, I've never felt that way," I said softly. "I'm incredibly lucky to have friends like you and Adrien, and-" I nodded toward Chat's shadow, "my boyfriend. All of you are special to me." I smiled again. "It's not a competition. There's a little of me for everyone."

Luka narrowed his eyes. "But more for _him_," he chuckled.

I nodded. "Yeah."

He put his hands to my shoulders. "If it doesn't work out, Mari, I will be here to complete your song."

Placing my hand over one of his, I looked into his eyes and saw clearly he was still carrying a flame for me. "It will," I said firmly. "You'll find someone to fill your own heart with song. I'm sure of it."

"Maybe," he smiled crookedly before casting another glance at the tent entrance. "Well, wonderful work as always," he said as he switched subjects. "We've got to do a warm up, so…"

"Of course," I smiled again. "Text me if there are any wardrobe malfunctions before you go on."

"Will do."

I found Chat leaning against a pole, arms crossed and boot against the rough surface. He appeared to still be in his strangely dark mood from earlier. "You'd think he'd be closer to Jagged," he observed with a high degree of snark, "given how he's the opening act and all."

Looking at him agog, I tapped him on his chest. "This is behavior unbecoming of my boyfriend," I said quietly. "I know you're green-eyed and all, but where is this coming from, really?"

Chat hung his head slightly, a movement that normally would push his bangs forward to hide his face from me. With unicorn mask, though, I could still see his eyes quite clearly and the conflicted uncertainty in them. Blowing out a breath, he kicked at a stone on the walkway before speaking and tried to turn away from me; I countered the movement by stepping around to him and gently putting a hand to his exposed cheek (which I could now see had flamed a bit). "Tell me."

He blew out another breath and pursed his lips. "I… can sense how badly he wants to be your boyfriend," Chat finally said, so quietly I had to lean closer.

"Sense?" I laughed. "No kidding. He's been giving off that vibe for months now."

Chat coughed a bit. "That's not all he's giving off."

My eyes widened with the dawning realization of what Chat was saying. "Oh," was all I could come up with.

He nodded and looked around to ensure we were still relatively alone; not satisfied that someone wouldn't overhear, he tugged at me and we moved out of the backstage area and toward a relatively secluded spot by the power generators. They were humming as they pumped out the power needed on stage, loud enough to mask our conversation but not so loud that I couldn't easily hear my partner.

He leaned up against the trailer housing one of the generators, recrossed his arms and looked away. If I'd not known how to translate the movements of his tail, I'd have assumed he was as nonchalant as normal; the twisting, though, gave lie to his attempted bad boy aura.

"I've been… changing," he said slowly. "As I get older, I'm finding I have a greater degree of control over my feline enhancements. But I'm also now experiencing what it means to be a... grown up cat, too." Chat looked at me meaningfully. "A mature cat."

I'd assumed it was something along those lines, and nodded encouragingly. I couldn't tell him that as Ladybug, last spring had been a nightmare for me. Especially when the tulips had come into season. But my Miraculous was from a bug - an insect; not an animal with more primal instincts. I couldn't help the widening of my eyes as I started to get a broader picture of what he might be dealing with.

"I think I understand," I smiled, running my hand along his arm. "And I'm here to help you work through it."

Chat nodded as he looked down and shifted uncomfortably from boot to boot. "I'm still learning what it means to be Chat," he admitted. "I thought I knew; I mean, at fourteen, I had everything down." He looked up with a sly Chat smile. "It would've been nice to have gradually gotten here, but I started experiencing… everything… differently... between transformations this summer. One moment I'm a kitty, the next, I'm a cat on the prowl." His eyes flicked to the tent in the distance housing Luka and the band. "A cat with palpable territorial instincts that are hard to control."

I looked at him, astonished at the admission. "You can literally sense Luka's desire," I stated.

He swallowed. "Yes," he said and looked away again. "It is one of… many new triggers for all sorts of instincts I didn't realize I had, especially when I'm transformed."

_Especially?_ I thought. _Does he mean his civilian alter-ego has been affected, too?_

"I'm getting better at it," he said as he turned back to me and ran his gloved hand through my hair. "But the downside is, my green-eyed monster could be really dangerous if I ever truly let it out."

"No kidding," I smiled. "And a prime candidate for Hawkmoth, too."

He nodded. "That fear alone has been quite the motivator to tamp down my emotions," Chat smiled. "But some things are instinctual still."

"Hence the monosyllabic conversation we enjoyed with Luka."

Chat rolled his eyes. "You really didn't want me to take him on, right?" He blew out another breath. "The way he was looking at you, how he talked to you…" he trailed off, a low growl appearing again. "I was ready to shred that sorry look-"

"Down, kitty," I said, leaning up to kiss him and derail the homicidal glare that had appeared in his masked eyes. Not for the first time that evening was I glad I hadn't left him alone with Luka.

"This is going to take some work," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Well, as long as you don't tear every boy I come into contact with limb-from-limb, we'll call it a win," I teased, trying to lighten the mood. "But seriously, we'll get through this together."

Chat drew me into his arms, and placed his unicorn mask on my hair. "How was I ever lucky enough to be your boyfriend?" he mused.

"Fate," I laughed. "Now, if you please, I'd like to actually _watch_ the concert my boyfriend is taking me to."

"Of course, Princess," he smiled.


	16. Protective Instincts

**Sixteen: Protective Instincts**

Ever the gentleman, Chat escorted me home after the concert, gently carrying me through the inky blackness of the night and over the rooftops of Paris. Owing to the late hour, I invited him to crash on the chaise once more, though he declined with a quick explanation that his civilian persona needed to be seen at breakfast that morning.

"Any other morning, Purrincess," he smiled slyly as he started back up the ladder to the patio. "But, sadly, I need to make up for my rather extended absence yesterday."

"I understand," I replied as I blew him a kiss. "Will I see you this evening?"

He paused, one paw on the skylight, and narrowed his eyes. "Do you really have to ask?" he laughed.

"No," I said, smiling.

Chat saluted and with a whisper of fabric and the slight snap of his tail, was gone.

Oversleeping again, I was racing up the steps of the school a few minutes before first bell and nearly collided with Adrien in an epic repeat of a few days earlier. His years of fencing had apparently given him excellent reflexes, for he expertly weaved around me as I came barreling through the main entrance.

"Mari," he smiled. "Late again?" he asked.

"Yeah," I nodded, taking stock of my friend as I did so. He looked exhausted, though I suppose only someone who knew him well would be able to tell. Adrien was as put together as always; my designer's eye, though, noted that his hair looked more like he'd slept in it for real than spent hours making it look like bed-head, and his eyes looked a little red around the edges. Considering he'd not gone to the concert with us last night – owing to Luka's knee jerk reaction to him – it was weird. "I'm sorry you weren't able to play in the band last night," I said. "The concert was excellent."

Adrien smiled as we fell into step together. "So I heard. Nino also said you brought your mystery date last night, too." He paused. "I wish I could have been there to see him," he sighed. "I have a feline I would've liked him."

I blinked. "You did it again," I said, pulling him to a stop.

"Did what?" he asked, a look of genuine confusion on his face.

I shook my head. "Nothing, I guess," I smiled. "I'm more tired than I thought."

"Ditto," he replied. "I'm ready for the weekend," he added, before groaning. "And the swimsuit photoshoot I've got to do."

"That time of the year already?" I asked innocently, though I was well aware of when the House of Gabriel summer catalog needed to be pulled together. I may or may not have had the swimsuit date circled on my calendar, too, for on more than one occasion, Alya had managed to sneak the two of us onto the set using her credentials as a student journalist. Fortunately, Adrien had yet to catch us.

"It is," he sighed again. "This year, they've sent me to the gym to bulk up a bit, too," he grimaced. "I hate the weight room."

A sudden image of Adrien in the weight room, wearing a muscle t-shirt, flashed into my brain; oddly, it shifted immediately to one of Chat sitting on my chaise, twirling his tail and looking at me with those warm feline eyes-

"Mari?"

Knocked back to the present, I felt myself blushing. "Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I may or may not have been picturing that in my brain."

Adrien laughed but couldn't cover the slight blush that tinged his cheeks. "It's not nearly as sexy as you might have imagined," he said as we turned to go our separate ways.

_Oh, yes it can be,_ I thought to myself as I simply smiled and hurried to first period.

By lunch time, I'd discovered I'd doodled six pencil studies of my kitty in the side margins of my notes, something of a feat given they were on a tablet, with absolutely no recollection of what lessons had been on tap in any of my morning sessions. I wasn't sure if it was due to my lack of sleep or the fact that my brain couldn't seem to shift away from thoughts of Chat. Sure, I had my share of daydreams about my boyfriend – what person in love hadn't experienced that? But this felt new in an exciting and potentially dangerous way. I just couldn't put my finger on why.

My introspection was put on hold during the first period of the afternoon when an akuma alert rang out across the school. Much like my time at Dupont, our Lycée seemed to attract an inordinate amount of attacks. Stealing out from the classroom I'd just entered, I dashed down the hallway and toward one of two spots I rotated through for transforming – and skidded to a halt.

Adrien was running from the far end of the hallway, and had been looking over his shoulder; turning, he saw me and abruptly stopped. "Marinette - there's an akuma in the building! _Take cover!_" he fairly shouted.

"What are you doing out here?" I darted toward him and grabbed him by the arm, propelling him toward my hiding spot. "It's not safe!"

"Mari-!" he started as he tried to shrug away from my grasp. His eyes widened as I held on; I'd found the longer I'd been Ladybug, a bit of the added muscle that came with the job appeared to remain when not transformed. Adrien began to fight me, seriously twisting to escape my grasp, and I redoubled my efforts to get him to safety. "Hey!" he cried out again, his eyes wide in shock at my strength. "Let me _go_, Mari!"

Throwing open the door to the janitorial closet, I shoved my friend in and slammed the door shut, locking it in the process. "Stay there! I'll go for help."

"Marinette! Wait!" Adrien yelled, his voice slightly muffled by the door. "Let me out!" he cried again, banging on the door and, I think, swearing slightly in the process. "_Mari!_" he yelled louder, seriously rattling the door in it's frame in an attempt to free himself.

Ignoring him, I ran full-bore in the direction Adrien had come, for my second hiding spot was just around the corner. I tried not to think about why my protect-Adrien-at-all-costs protocol had suddenly bloomed into life; it was just as well, for as I rounded the corner, I found the end of the corridor was missing completely – including my second hiding spot.

"Merde," I breathed as I watched cars drive by slowly on the street that was now visible through the twisted rubble. The only good news was that it _had_ been the main cafeteria, so with luck, no one had been in the space owing to lunch being over.

Frantically, I scanned the hallway for a second option, and seeing none, scanned again to ensure I was alone; wishing I had Chat's better hearing, I figured I was alone _enough_ to risk transforming on the spot. As I called out to Tikki, I heard a crash behind me from the general direction of the closet I'd locked Adrien into. I waited impatiently for the red wave of transformation to wash over me and then somersaulted backwards to check on Adrien.

And smashed directly into Chat Noir.

Landing in a heap in the center of what was left of the hallway, I heard his baton roll away as he swore in multiple languages (something I was unaware he could do). Disentangling myself from him, I rolled sideways and snatched up his baton before it had gotten too far. "Chat," I said as I tossed his baton to him.

"Milady," he replied curtly as he caught the baton smoothly. "Normally my reflexes are faster, but I was distracted," he explained, though his look in my general direction was scorching. "Did you see a young woman – a student – go down this hallway?" he asked, urgently.

I blinked. "No," I said. "I just got here myself."

Chat sprung up and was about to vault down the hallway. "I've got to find-_ow_!" he cried as he crashed back down onto the commercial linoleum, face-first. "God-fricking-_damn_, LB!" he said angrily as he flipped around to face me.

I held onto his tail as I stood. "Hang on, kitty," I admonished. "We've not run into the fire like that in a while. What's got your tail in such a twist?"

Now shaking with visible anger, Chat growled through gritted teeth as he tried to pull his tail out of my gloved hand: "Let go of my tail."

My masked eyes widened. "Not until you tell me what's going on," I said firmly.

Chat yanked a bit harder and I held firm. Glaring at me, he weighed something mentally before continuing. "My... girlfriend... attends this Lycée," he said haltingly. "She was last seen heading down this hallway." The end of his tail in my hand twisted angrily as he added, "I _need_ to find her. Make sure she's safe."

Trying to keep my face impassive, I realized someone had seen me leave class. But it had been barely five minutes - how on earth had Chat found out so quickly? With sudden clarity, I realized Chat had to have also been a student at that Lycée, for it also explained how he was able to appear so quickly when I needed him.

He _had_ to have seen Marinette. Not only was he a student, he must be one in that same period.

My thoughts were threatening to spiral out of control when Chat broke in. "There was a student locked in a closet back there," he said, jerking a clawed thumb tip over his shoulder. "They were pounding hard enough on the door that I thought the akuma might find them. I got them out but not before telling me it was Marinette that had locked them in there."

Adrien _had_ been making a ton of noise when I'd left him; it was about right he'd have attracted the attention of Chat. "How the _Hell_ does Adrien know who your girlfriend is?" I demanded, angry at Adrien for attracting attention, and angrier at Chat for sharing details of our relationship with someone.

"Wait, you knew Adrien was back there?" Chat asked, and arched a masked eyebrow at me.

Instantly I knew I'd slipped up, and my mind raced to try and cover the gaffe. "Yes," I said quickly. "I heard him howling like a banshee as I cleared the hallway. It was safer to leave him in there than to try and move him," I added testily as I started down the hallway toward the closet. "Now we've got to make sure he's safe. And you and I are gonna have to have a chat about keeping secrets."

Chat was forced to come along with me for I still had his tail and was tugging at him angrily as we went. Finally having had enough, though, he planted himself firmly, forcing me whipsaw around. "He's fine," Chat said icily as he crossed his paws and narrowed his eyes at me. "And I'm purrfectly capable of keeping my secrets, Ladybug. He merely told me he'd seen Marinette – and he was nearly apoplectic that she'd locked him in the closet. You're the only person who knows about her relationship with me."

I stared at him, his tail continuing to twist angrily in my hand and the fire – and no small amount of worry – in those emerald eyes of his. That gave me pause and defused a bit of my anger, for he had every right to be concerned about Marinette. I backed up slightly. "I'm sorry, Chat," I said. "I know how much she means to you."

"Do you?" he asked, his voice vibrating. "I'd really like to get in there and see if she's okay."

Knowing that letting him go search for me would make matters worse, I sorted through possible explanations that he might buy and settled on one. "I'm sure she made it out of the school, Chat," I said a bit more softly. "But we have a building full of schoolkids we need to think about. You know her better than I do, but if she's the kind of person you'd fall in love with, I have to think she's capable of taking care of herself."

Only slightly mollified, Chat nodded abruptly. "You're right, of course," he said, but I could hear how torn he was over wanting to protect Marinette and dealing with the akuma. "Let's go take this akuma down," he added with a growl.

I nodded as I dropped his tail. As the two of us turned and ran back into the destroyed corridor, though, I was struck by the notion that in the early days, when I'd been fixated on Adrien, I'd had more than one occasion when my focus was on protecting him than the overall battle I was entering. Chat had actually been far more forgiving of me than I had just been; waves of guilt washed over me with the added complication that, in order to preserve my own secret, I had no way to assure him Marinette was in safe hands, metaphorically speaking.

We fell into our normal rhythm, but the akuma turned out to be one of the more difficult ones we'd faced in a while. I had to recharge twice, and Chat was on his fourth; he'd telegraphed he was out of food for his kwami, and I was down to my last macaroon. By the time we got to the Miraculous Cure, the better part of the Lycée building had been smashed beyond recognition, whether from the akuma's efforts or Chat's attempts to use Cataclysm with my Lucky Charm.

It wasn't one of our finer moments, for sure. But no one had gotten hurt, and as we sat on the edge of the restored rooftop of the school, I could tell Chat was as wiped out as I was after the multi-hour affair. "You look as exhausted as I feel," I said over the chirping of my earrings.

"I am," Chat said tiredly. He was fussing with his baton, and I watched him frown. "She's not picking up," he growled as he stood, his chirping ring giving him some urgency. "I need to go," he said. "Marinette's still not answering; I really need to see if she's okay," he added as snapped his baton shut.

"Go," I said. "I totally get it. But I'd like to decompress a bit before returning to my civilian life." I smiled tiredly. "If that makes any sense. Once you track her down, could you circle back to chat?"

Once again, Chat looked torn. "It might take a bit," he said. "Do you mind waiting, Milady?"

"No," I said, knowing it wasn't going to take him long to find me at all.

He smiled tiredly. "All right. I'm probably the only person who can lend an empathetic ear – or four." Chat snapped open his baton again, and frowned. "I'll be back just as soon as I've fed my kwami and found Marinette."

"I've got some food on hand still," I said over my chirping earrings. "I'll be right here."

Chat simply stepped off the edge of the roof and disappeared, eschewing his usual theatrics and proving my suspicion that he'd put everything and then some into the battle. I waited a few moments before dropping my transformation and giving Tikki my last macaroon. While she savored the small cookie like it was a meal from a five-star restaurant, I dug my civilian phone out of my purse and moved to a sheltered spot behind a chimney. I'd barely unlocked it before Chat's private line appeared as an incoming call.

Smiling ever so slightly at how he had to have forced poor Plagg to down his cheese in record time, I thumbed the call. "Kitty," I said. "Before you say anything, I am just fine."

Chat's masked eyes were scanning me – at least, as much as he could from the camera on the phone. "Are you sure? Where are you? You want me to come and get you?"

"I'm perfectly fine," I said. "I managed to get out of the school before Ladybug joined you."

"_Where_ are you?" he growled.

"Shopping," I quickly lied. "Since school was cancelled, it was about the only thing left to do."

"I'm coming to get you," he said. "Share your loc-"

"That would spoil the surprise," I interrupted, digging myself in deeper.

He paused, mouth agape. "Surprise? What surprise?"

I tried to look devilish. "Wouldn't you like to know. Be at my place tonight and you might find out."

"Marinette," he started, all serious, "this is not funny. I was _seriously_ worried about you. Adrien said you ran _toward_ the akuma, but I couldn't find you."

Grasping at straws, I pulled a final lie out that I knew I would regret later. "I was helping Alya, if you must know," I said sighing as if he'd uncovered a major secret.

"You were _what_?" he said, masked eyes flying wide open. "Mari - Ladybug and I have a hard enough time trying to keep Alya safe when she disregards our instructions. I'm not sure what I'd do if you were hurt-"

"It was a one-time thing," I said.

Chat glared at me. "Promise me you won't do that again?" he implored.

I nodded quickly. "I've had my fill of akumas, thank you," I said, which was more true than he knew.

"Good," he said, and I could tell he was moving. "I've got to meet up with Ladybug and then I'm making a cat-line directly to the Bakery."

"Isn't that 'bee-line?'"

"Chat's prerogative," he smiled. Then he added, very seriously, "I love you, Princess. You really scared me today."

"I'm sorry, Kitty. See you tonight?"

"Most de_feline_ly."

I rolled my eyes but felt it was a good sign he'd started punning again. Clicking off, I quickly transformed and perched back on the edge of the roof to await the arrival of my boyfriend.


	17. Superhero Chat

**Seventeen: Superhero Chat**

Chat arrived just a few minutes after I'd spoken to him as Marinette, landing perfectly along the raised decorative accent of the rooftop and once more easily defying gravity in his three-point stance. I'd been sitting atop it myself, pondering what exactly to say to him as I watched the sun start to sink below the tops of the buildings.

"Milady," he said with his usual grace as he used his free paw to take my hand for his usual knuckle kiss.

"Kitty," I smiled. "Marinette is—"

"Fine," he said curtly. "But I'll be checking in with her purrsonally after we wrap here."

It was an odd sensation realizing just how much my relationship with Chat had changed (as Ladybug, that is). Where once he would do anything to spend time with me, now he rarely made any of his old excuses to hang out with me as Ladybug. Chat continued to be the perfect gentlecat; he always made me feel like I was the center of his universe when we were together, of course, and had never rushed off post-akuma without first ensuring I was fine or didn't want to go over anything from the battle. But neither was he going out of his way to extend his face time with Ladybug, either.

He still flirted with me, of course, for that seemed to be an ingrained part of his superhero persona – hence the knuckle kiss – but it had more of a playful quality to it these days, instead of the hint of desperation for a connection that had infused our early years together. As Marinette, I had gradually begun to understand his motivations as I slowly peeled away the layers to my kitty. Still, every now and then I felt a wave of guilt at how dismissive I'd been of his feelings as Ladybug.

Fortunately, I was more than making up for it now.

"Good," I smiled, and then carefully chose my next words. "About this afternoon… look, I might have been a bit harsh—"

"A bit?" Chat smiled, and I felt heartened that it was of his humorous variety. "You had me by the tail. Literally."

"Yeah," I said. "It's the easiest way to attract your attention."

"And it hurts like Hell," he reminded me. "You forget that you _always_ have my full attention, Bug," he added with that Cheshire Chat grin of his.

"Not this afternoon," I pointed out. "You were a single-track kitty until I hauled you back to your feline senses."

Chat looked away, and I watched his masked eyes follow a distant flock of birds as they moved across the darkening sky. "That's true," he admitted softly. "I've learned how to deal with times when you are in danger – it's part of my job description, really," he said as he turned back toward me. "And I know that I compliment you; together, we can fight off anything."

He looked away again. "Marinette only has me. It's bad enough that I'm putting her into danger just _dating_ her; it sends me into full panic mode when she's in trouble and I can't get to her to help."

"She's stronger than you imagine, Chat," I said, running my gloved hand along his arm. "She has to be, to date the likes of you."

"I suppose," he smiled wryly. "I do test her, I think."

_Oh yeah,_ I agreed mentally.

"Today was the first time I nearly put her safety over that of the people of Paris," Chat continued, and I could hear in his voice how upset he was with himself – and torn. "I was faced with the ultimate dilemma: do I save my girlfriend, or save the schoolkids?" He looked at me again. "It's that awful superhero choice I never expected either of us would have to ever make."

There were a hundred things I wanted to tell him, and none of them appropriate if I wished to keep my true identity secret. So instead, I opted for something more in line with Ladybug, though it tore me up inside as I said it. "We _have_ to make the tough choices, Chat. That's why we're the Heroes of Paris."

I put a hand on his costumed back. "Part of the cost of being able to run around like an overgrown housecat is being faced with those decisions, and for what it's worth, I think you made the right call today. As hard as it was."

Chat slumped his head forward a bit, his bangs falling across his mask as he moved. "It _was_ hard. And I know it will be one I have to make again. And again." He sighed. "I'm glad you are by my side, bugaboo," he said fondly. "That's about the only way I was able to get through it."

"We do everything together," I reminded him. "Even the hard stuff."

He cocked his head sideways slightly, one masked eye peeking out from beneath a bang. "A piece of advice?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Don't fall in love with a civilian," he said with a wry smile.

"Oh, Chat! That's the _worst_ advice you've ever given me," I said. "Your dating Marinette has clearly helped you grow into the more mature partner I always knew you would become." I paused. "Nearly."

He laughed. "Nearly?"

"I suspect deep down you'll always be a kitten around me," I replied as I leaned over to kiss him. At the last moment, I remembered which persona I was and redirected to his exposed cheek instead of those super-soft lips of his. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Chat pulled me closer with his free arm. "Me either, Milady."

We sat like that for a bit, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon, and I fought the urge to burrow into my partner as I was wont to do as Marinette. Chat's normally warm body temperature made it quite difficult to ignore, though, so I reluctantly pulled away from him. It didn't hurt that as accommodating as he was being, I could feel his tail was twitching – the only sign of his impatience to head over to the Bakery.

"I should go," I said as I pulled my yo-yo from my waist. "I know you want to check in on Marinette."

"Is it that obvious?" he smiled, slightly abashed.

"Only to me," I smiled back. I stood up on the edge and he joined me, and I realized I needed some way to distract him long enough to beat him back to the Bakery. "Might I return a piece of advice?"

"Of course, Milady," he said.

"Be gentle with her," I said. "She probably is just now coming to terms with what you told her earlier."

"I will," he smiled, and then frowned as he popped open his baton to check the time. "Damn," he breathed. "My alter-ego needs to… be seen… somewhere before I can get to Marinette's place," he groaned.

"Go take care of it," I said, trying not to look relieved that he'd conveniently solved my dilemma. "I'm sure Marinette will wait."

Chat smiled, saluted, and launched himself into the night. I watched him sail off into the gathering dusk – long enough to ensure he wasn't headed to the Bakery – and then lassoed the chimney across the way to head there myself. All the way there, I reminded myself just what kind of a special kitty my partner was – and just how much I loved him.

That, and I needed to figure out what the surprise was I'd told him I'd bought…


	18. Small Revelations

**Eighteen: Small Revelations**

Some hours later, I was waiting for Chat on the rooftop patio when he landed gracefully on the railing beside where I was leaning. He didn't give me a chance to greet him before slipping off the wrought iron and wrapping himself around me in a warm embrace. Before I knew it, we were intertwined in each other on my chaise, the loud rumbles of his purr filling the night air as he buried his face in my hair and gently held me against his black-leather-cladded form.

In truth, I knew he needed that simple act of holding me – the reassurance that I was fine, despite having (ostensibly) done something wildly dangerous. I realized I, too, needed the comfort of his touch nearly as much, given the stresses of the week; the validation that I was loved, and the reminder I was the center of someone's universe went a long way toward dropping my blood pressure back into a more normal range.

Even though Friday was traditionally date night for the two of us, neither of us moved to snag the tablet from the side table to start our movie, nor did Chat seem interested in the mountain of baked goodies I'd brought up from the kitchen by way of apology. He similarly overlooked the small package I'd found at the last minute to give truth to my lie. Instead, I remained snuggled into the comforting rumbles emanating from his chest, allowing his admittedly toasty body to stave of the chill of the evening.

I awoke sometime later to find myself in my own bed, comforter carefully tucked around me. It was still dark, but I could sense Chat was in the space. "Kitty?" I called out quietly.

There was a soft murmur of fabric, and then a set of quasi-glowing eyes were peeking just over the edge of the bed. "Princess," he whispered. "I'm here."

I pushed up slightly from my pillow. "I'm sorry," I apologized. "Some date night, huh."

The glowing eyes narrowed. "I think we were both exhausted," he said softly. "And there could be worse things than having your girlfriend drool all over your costume."

"I did no such thing," I said defensively.

"Don't worry," Chat said as he leaned over for a kiss, "my super suit will survive."

I sighed and leaned into him, taking in his vaguely exotic scent that was part sandalwood, part something undefinable but totally Chat. Reluctantly, he pulled away, taking the scent with him. "You're leaving?" I asked. "I never gave you your surprise!"

"I've got to go," he said sadly. "I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye first."

"You'll be back?"

"It'll be late," he said. "My civilian self has obligations today that I can't get out of. But the moment I can get free, I will be here."

I put a hand out and felt for his bell in the darkness, and gently pulled his lips back to mine, but not before whispering, "I'm gonna hold you to that, kitty."

He laughed as he pulled away; silently, he slipped back through the skylight and was gone in a brief gust of air.

I rolled over and nodded off again, waking well into the mid-morning. Channeling my boyfriend, I stretched in the slanted sunshine that was splashed across the bed, yawned and looked down to see Tikki reading one of the novels I'd been assigned in our Classic Literature class. She'd propped the book up against one of my computer speakers and was floating down the text as she read each paragraph.

Flipping off the covers, I slid down the ladder to her. "_Jane Eyre_?" I asked, eyes wide. "Not exactly light reading."

"No," she said, her wide eyes glued to the text. "It's been more than a century since I'd read this," she murmured as she floated to the side of the book to pull the next page over. "It's still just as riveting as I remember."

I rolled my eyes. "I suppose you read the original?"

Tikki nodded. "My holder at the time was from a fairly well-to-do family and had a first edition."

I did a double-take. "Seriously?"

"Mm-hmm." Tikki was fully invested in the story.

"I'm… going to get something to eat," I said, and Tikki just nodded. As I slipped away, I realized even my kwami needed a break from time to time, and wondered if Chat had moments when he let Plagg roam free for a bit. I started to make a mental note to ask him and then realized it would have to be Ladybug who did so; mentally, I chastised myself for blending the two halves of my life.

Then again, the longer I spent with Chat, the harder I was finding it to keep the two halves of me separate. He'd once told me that Chat was more _him _than his alter-ego, but I'd never felt that way about Ladybug. She was me, obviously, but was far more confident that I really felt in my daily life. I suspected that was part of what had originally attracted Chat to Ladybug – the smooth, calm, thoughtful persona I presented – composed beauty under pressure.

I tried not to snort my double-mocha; it was more likely the form-fitting costume had attracted his attention first. As I worked through my oatmeal, though, I realized that wasn't fair at all. Chat had turned out to be far more sensitive and compassionate than I'd given him credit for early on in our relationship; ironically, it had taken me shunning him as Ladybug to get to know him more fully.

After showering, I gathered up Tikki and some art supplies and told my parents I'd be over at my spot in the Trocadero; Maman insisted on packing a picnic lunch for two, having more faith than I did that Chat would magically appear. Without Air Chat, I took the Metro over, then climbed the steps to my perch… and found Chat Noir lounging along the granite wall, twirling his tail as he watched me arrive.

"Chat," I said with a smile. "How did you know…?"

"I got done early and swung by the Bakery; your mother pointed me here. I've just been here a few moments," he added as he slid off the wall and landed softly next to me. I could see, though he was trying to mask it, his feline nose had already detected the Belgian chocolate croissants.

"Go ahead," I laughed, and a moment later he was happily munching on a pastry as he folded himself into position next to me. "I'll be honest, I'm glad you were able to escape."

"Me too," he said as he polished off his second croissant and licked the microscopic crumbs off his paws.

As I started a new pencil sketch of the tree a few meters away from us and the flowers surrounding it, I decided to venture into dangerous waters. "I am sorry about yesterday," I said quietly.

"I know," he replied as he leaned his mane on my shoulder. "It's my lot in life to worry about the two most important women in my life."

"I'm capable of protecting myself, Chat," I chided him, "but I understand." I paused for a moment to shade in part of the trunk. "How did you know I'd gone down that corridor?"

Chat blew out a breath. "You locked your friend Adrien in a closet," he replied. "He was just as unhappy as I was that you'd gone into the fray; more so, perhaps, based on how you treated him."

I looked to Chat. "It's because he's such a friend that I did what I did," I explained.

He arched an eyebrow at me. "You do realize he's not a fan of being locked up in small spaces?"

That gave me pause, for it was something I _did_ know – as Ladybug – and had forgotten in the heat of the moment. It had been during one of those many akumas we'd fought in the early days at the Louvre; I'd hidden Adrien inside a sarcophagus only to find he'd been uncomfortable enough to escape and hide behind a pillar instead. "No," I said carefully. "I had no idea. No wonder he was so riled up."

"Well," he smiled slightly as he closely examined a claw. "Now you do."

"Do you go to that school?"

Chat's head snapped to me. "There's no way I can answer that."

"Ah," I said, smiling slightly. "So you—"

Chat's mane was suddenly between me and the sketchbook. "No, seriously," he said, "I can't answer that. If I say yes _or_ no it tells you something you shouldn't know." His masked eyes held a significant look of concern. "I love you too much to put you into danger," he said softly. "It's not safe for you to know anything – even a small thing – about my civilian self."

He slid further and managed to get himself between my arms. "I am already worried about you dating me," he said, very softly, as he leaned close to an ear. His breath actually tickled the corner of my ear, and I found myself reacting to him physically. "You're right to want to keep us off the radar of Paris. I think it finally dawned on me yesterday – if Hawkmoth or any other villain found out about us, they could conceivably come after you as a way to get to me and Ladybug."

Chat sat back a bit, his masked feline eyes blazing with compassion; I could also see how serious he was. "I can protect you," he said. "I know I can. But dating me is dangerous, Princess. I know we've talked about this before, but I have a feline our relationship is heading into new territory." He looked away, his out-of-control locks swinging with the movement. "I would understand completely if you're not comfort—"

I put a finger to his lips and then gently turned him toward me. While there was no way for me to explicitly explain _why_ I was the perfect person for him to be dating, I had a few aces up my sleeve. "I am _completely_ comfortable with our relationship… and where it is going," I said deliberately. "I want those cute kitty ears to hear this and hear it well: there is only one cat for me, Chat, and that's you."

"Mari—"

"I know exactly what I'm doing," I said, smiling, "and I know exactly what I'm getting into. And," I smiled broader, "I'm no shrinking violet. I know you'll protect me if you can, but I am totally capable myself." I flexed my muscles slightly, an admittedly over-the-top action, but continued to make my point. "I work out, and as I think Adrien would agree, was able to muscle him into that closet with little effort."

Chat smiled at that, almost knowingly. "You sure surprised him."

"I think I did. I've not seen him since, though, and now I'm a little afraid to find out how he feels about what I did to him."

"I'm certain he'll let you know," Chat said, narrowing his eyes as he laughed.

"Anyway," I said as I tried to shove him off my lap to no avail (he'd cleverly used his claws to anchor himself), "I'm in for the long haul, so don't try and scare me out of dating you, kitty."

He narrowed his eyes more. "Are you pawsitive?" he asked, very slowly, as he deliberately moved his face closer to mine, once again demonstrating his exquisitely precise body control. "This is the last warning I'll give you," he added in that low-register dangerous voice he often used with akumas.

Pulse racing slightly, mostly due to his physical proximity, I nonetheless held his intense gaze. "Yes, Chat."

My boyfriend let out a soft _meowrrr_ before leaning all the way down and slowly, very slowly, kissing me in a small path down the side of my neck. He paused at a spot just below my chin, and nestled his head there. One of his feline ears tickled at my cheek, and I sighed. "Good," he said softly.

I wrapped my arms around him, forgetting my sketching, and hugged him close to me. I wasn't surprised when he started purring once more, but was shocked when I discovered the Hero of Paris had nodded off in my arms. It dawned on me Chat had kept watch while I'd slept last night; given everything we'd been through recently plus whatever activity his civilian self had been on the hook for, Chat had likely not slept himself for more than a few hours in more than two days.

We were in a somewhat quiet section of Trocadero, but I nonetheless slid the two of us up against the wall and into a more secluded position. Chat didn't stir once, even after I repositioned him with his head and paws upon my lap. I gently stroked his wild mane and let him sleep soundly well into the late afternoon.

Knowing that I needed to get back to the Bakery, and assuming my boyfriend was likely still down a few thousand calories, I gently prodded him back to consciousness. "Chat?" I whispered into a feline ear.

He stirred finally, then cracked a masked eye as he yawned. "Princess," he smiled. "This is _exactly_ the way I want to wake up from meow on."

"Keep dreaming, kitty," I laughed. "Maybe it will come true. Someday."

"It will," he said with certainty as he did that full-body feline stretch that I envied. "I didn't realize I needed a catnap," he said sheepishly. "Thank you for watching over me."

"It's the least I can do," I said as I kissed him. "For all of the trouble I caused."

Chat kissed me back. "You only scared one life out of me, Princess," he smiled as he stood. "I still have eight to go."

"Let's not start a countdown," I said, eyes wide. "Look, you want to come over for dinner?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he laughed.


	19. Growing Up

**Nineteen: Growing Up**

"Stop fidgeting," I admonished.

"Sorry."

Chat froze in position and I stepped in to finish attaching the corsage on the forward section of his belt; it was about the only portion of his costume I'd been able to hook _anything_ to – and I'd tried a million variations. Being a super suit and all, it had resisted pins and such, leaving me with a simple belt clip from a cell phone that I'd superglued onto the back of the arrangement.

"There," I said triumphantly as I stood back to appreciate the effort.

Chat turned in my mirror. "Well," he said a bit dubiously, "it compliments my eyes…"

I laughed for the flowers were deep red roses in a bed of white baby's breath, wrapped in a netting that had small black dots at random intervals. I grinned a bit wider at the inside joke as I looked up at my partner of many years now, partially willing him to make the connection while reluctantly knowing he shouldn't. It was hard to believe we'd been together for more than five years now, and a couple for three. My eighteenth birthday had recently come and gone, which in typical Chat fashion, had been celebrated quietly in a nook atop the Eiffel Tower with a checked tablecloth, my first official glass of wine and some of the best Italian I'd ever had.

As it had also been close to our anniversary as a couple, he'd presented me with two gifts: the first, for my birthday, was the latest MacBook Pro pre-loaded with all the design software I was going to need at University that fall (and no small amount of Chat action photos he'd downloaded from the Ladyblog). I'd been agog at the expensive gift, but he assured me his alter-ego had saved his Euros from his internship the previous summer. I'd barely had time to digest this little nugget before he'd presented me with a small box in honor of our anniversary. It had contained a tiny Le Chat Noir pendant, though it had been customized slightly with small garnets in place of the eyes – a nod to the actual Chat Noir I was dating.

I fingered the pendant as Chat stepped down from the dais in front of my mirrors; I'd decided to wear it to the graduation party taking place shortly over at Le Grand Hotel; my parents were throwing a pre-party just below us in the residence, knowing that Chat would be unable to attend the bigger function later that evening.

As Chat had been coy regarding his own academic status, we were technically celebrating my own departure from Lycée, but I'd become certain in the final semester that he was a fellow student; all too often, he'd popped up exactly when I'd needed him, especially during hard or trying days when having a feline close at hand to cheer me up was a welcome option. Despite how empathetic my kitty was, I had a hard time believing he could sense my down moments from a Lycée on the far side of Paris.

It didn't hurt that Chat would also be right there when Ladybug needed him, too.

What was becoming a new development for me, though, was the thought that perhaps, just perhaps, I wasn't quite as wedded to my "keep our identities secret" Golden Rule as I thought I'd been. More than once in that final semester, I'd caught myself scanning my classmates, trying to see if any of them felt like likely candidates to be Chat. A few were close, but Chat was so… Chat, that it was hard to ascribe some of those personality traits to anyone else. Though in truth, Chat had often told me his civilian alter-ego was not really _him_, per se.

Chat caught the smile on my face and put a claw to my chin. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

"About how fast time has flown," I said, somewhat honestly.

"That it has," he smiled.

"I'm glad we have the summer to adjust to being adults," I added as I took him by the paw and started toward the trap door.

"Are you still staying here?" he asked as he leaned down to open the portal for me. "I figured you'd want to spread your wings a bit."

I looked at him, wondering if there was more to his choice of words and found just a questioning smile. "I am," I answered. "As well as the Bakery is doing, it'll still be pretty tight sending me to University. Staying at home saves on the living expenses for sure, and I can continue to work here at the Bakery with my folks."

Chat nodded and followed me down. "I'm sure your parents don't mind in the least."

"No," I laughed.

We found my parents in the living room, standing next to a tripod with our camera. Despite my protests that we were still trying to keep our relationship out of the public eye, my father had insisted on memorializing my graduation – hence the corsage for Chat, and the beautiful bouquet of flowers Chat had given me when he'd arrived. Quickly, my father ushered the two of us in front of the camera.

"A little closer," he said as he looked through the viewfinder.

"If you insist," Chat purred as he wrapped an arm around my waist and gently pulled me into is chest.

"Any excuse," I whispered through my smile.

"I'm just following instructions, Purrincess," he whispered back, but his tail wrapping around my ankle, just out of camera range, gave lie to the statement.

"Turn left," my father said.

Dutifully, Chat shifted both of us with practiced ease, seeming to know exactly what angle my poor father _really_ wanted.

"That's… exactly it," he said as he triggered the shutter. "Smile!" he said belatedly as he took another series.

Ten very long minutes later, I was certain my father had filled every last megabyte on his storage card. And yet, Chat politely indulged his need to save the moment – long after my own patience had been frayed. Gratefully, I sagged onto the couch after it was over, with Chat snuggled into me.

"Well done," he said quietly after ensuring my parents were out of earshot. Glancing again toward the kitchen, he quickly nuzzled me with his nose, eliciting a slight gasp from me that produced a wolffish smile from him.

"Seriously?" I breathed as I tried to shove him away. Instead he slid further onto my lap.

"Yes," he said, deliberately answering the wrong question. "Photo shoots can be trying. You did brilliantly."

"There's hope for me on the runway, then?" I laughed as I batted him away again.

"I wouldn't go that far," he chuckled as he pawed at where I'd bopped him on the nose.

"And what does a cat like you know about runways?"

"Only what I read," he said slyly. His ears flicked and faster than humanly possible, he was sitting sedately next to me, arm casually draped around me, legs crossed.

Maman appeared with the first of what I knew were multiple trays of food and began the actual mini-party with just the four of us. As we shared the food and memories of my school experience, though, I remained cognizant of the time and at quarter to the hour, gently reminded them I had to go.

Chat stood and hugged my mother, and then without a pause, my father as well. "Thank you for the food," he said. "And the chance to have something of a celebration with Mari." He looked down at me and, with a sly smile that worried me somewhat, continued. "I'll be with you in more ways than one tonight, Purrincess."

I arched an eyebrow. "What in—"

"But we really should get you there," he interrupted after looking at his baton. "Chat's Air Express is ready and waiting."

Not long afterward, Chat was carrying me across the rooftops of Paris, humming happily as he did so. Gently, he set us down in an alleyway near to the hotel, and I braced myself with one hand on his shoulder as I slid my high heels on. "Wow," he purred. "You look extraordinarily beautiful tonight."

"You're a bit biased," I reminded him as I kissed him. With the heels, I was nearly his height and for once didn't need to be on my tip-toes to reach him.

"And insanely jealous at all the guys waiting for your entrance in there," he smiled.

"Is that what you meant earlier? You're going to be keeping a close eye on my movements, are you?"

"In a manner of speaking," he laughed before kissing me once more. "Have a great time," he said as he backed away and readied his baton. "Call when you want your pickup."

"Of course," I replied as he lifted himself into the sky and was gone.

I crossed the street as quickly as I could in heels and a dress and entered the massive foyer of the hotel. There was something of a crowd, and it took a moment for me to get my bearings; our Lycée was one of many celebrating that evening, making use of all of the ballrooms in the massive hotel. It meant the space was awash with students and family members dressed in their best – and also made everyone look the same, making it hard to pick out any of my fellow classmates. As I was losing hope of finding any sign of where to go, a gentle hand inserted itself around my arm.

"Mari," came a very familiar voice.

I turned and saw Adrien's deep emerald eyes looking back at me. He was in standard House of Gabriel formal attire, of course, looking every bit as elegant as the magazine covers he frequently graced; what was unusual was the mischievous smile on his face. "Adrien!" I said as I looked around him. "Are you actually alone?"

"Eighteen and fancy free," he smiled. "My bodyguard retired today, and gave my father a piece of his mind while he was at it." Adrien's eyes narrowed in laughter. "It was the most delightful thing I've ever seen. I found out his name, too."

"He has a name?"

"Yes. I'm going to stay in touch with him, actually; when I'm running House of Gabriel, I'll need a good assistant and he more than fits the bill."

My eyes widened. "You? Running your father's business?"

He nodded. "Oh yeah. But that's down the road – first I need to get my degree. _Then_ the hostile takeover," he laughed.

"But – you model! How on earth will you have time to run a company?"

Adrien started the two of us toward the steps to the mezzanine. "I've only got another five or eight years in the business, Mari," he said honestly. "Ten if I am really lucky. Someone younger – and hotter – will replace me. So I've been planning accordingly."

I looked at my friend anew. "I had no idea."

"You work on the other side of the business," he smiled. "Your talents will never fall out of favor, whereas one little wrinkle will end my career faster than a deflated souffle."

"Harsh."

"It's the reality. The good news is, I can move into my dorm room next week, so I am officially on my own."

I frowned. "That's a bit early, isn't it?"

"It's not a moment too soon," he smiled again. "Believe me. Father wasn't very happy about it, but since I'm paying my own way, he didn't have much to say about it."

"You're what?!" I cried. Like everyone in our school, I was aware Adrien came from money – though you'd be hard pressed to know it the way he comported himself.

Adrien smiled wider and pulled me toward the railing overlooking the lobby. "I've not told anyone yet, but I scored a multi-year modelling contract for a firm that does catalogues here in Europe and over in the States. In addition to my normal work for House of Gabriel, it more than covers my education – and then some." He paused. "And if I'm really lucky, it will add a bit of international demand for my services once I graduate."

"That's insane!"

"I know," he smiled again. "Hopefully I can keep the candle burning at both ends a bit longer," he added meaningfully. Adrien then looked thoughtful. "I've been _so_ busy, though, it left me without a date for this evening."

Even though I was seeing Chat, I'd kept up with my friend's life, and was aware that he'd remained studiously detached from any romantic relationships since – well, to be honest, there was really _only_ his brief run with Kagami while we were still at Dupont. I smiled a bit at the thought of her; I knew she was planning a gap year in South America, since, as Ladybug, I'd made the rounds of my holders to see if they were staying in Paris after graduation. Reluctantly I'd had cross my friend off the list – at least until she returned, assuming I'd not found a replacement for the Dragon Miraculous.

But now that I thought about it, Adrien had never been seen with _anyone_ hanging off an arm in public. At least, no one that wasn't also a paid model at whatever event they were both working at the time. It made me a bit sad to think he'd never found anyone after Kagami, and I privately hoped University would change his situation.

Still, the prospect of being his date for the evening – given how long I'd crushed on him – brought a warm smile to my face. "It's your lucky night, then, sunshine," I said. "For my boyfriend couldn't make it. I'd enjoy the company, if you don't mind."

Adrien smiled wider. "I was hoping you'd say that," he replied. "I didn't want to go in alone. And with Nino marrying Alya this summer, I would have been more than a fifth wheel hanging with them."

"Are you going to the wedding?"

"I'm the Best Man!" he replied happily before sobering. "But if I'm seen with you… won't Chat be jealous?"

"Of course he will," I smiled. "So don't make any sudden moves on me."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," he replied, and for just a moment, I thought I saw a classic Chat smile.


	20. At Just The Right Moment

**Twenty: At Just The Right Moment**

Rubbing my eyes, I pressed back from the desk I'd commandeered in the main library and yawned. I didn't need to look at my phone to know it was well after midnight, but Hawkmoth had gone manic again and as a result I was hopelessly behind on my term paper. Staring down at the MacBook my boyfriend had given me, I loathed what I had written and loathed further what was left to write.

Tilting back, I idly looked around and noted there were a handful of other patrons, most if not all wearing the same half-panicked expression I knew I was displaying. I turned back to my desk and put my head down on the surface, working overtime to keep from screaming out in frustration. I took a few deep breaths, trying to center myself, and found it wasn't working.

Just when I felt the initial throes of panic threaten to overtake me, I heard the familiar whisper of fabric and a rubbery thump atop my table. I felt a gentle kiss on my head, followed by another, and then the welcome careful caress along my hair.

I looked up, and saw Chat laying on his chest, facing me, face full of concern. "How do you do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" he replied, cocking his head questioningly.

"Appear, just when I need you the most."

He smiled as he toyed with the tie I'd used for my pigtail. "Cats mate for life," he explained. "It gives us a psychic bond with our beloved."

I looked at him. "Really?"

"No," he smiled. "I actually use magic."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course you do."

"Don't knock it," he smiled wider. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"I can deny the results," I said. "And though I'm happy to see you, I really _do_ need to finish this paper."

"I thought you might say that," he said. "Care to join me under the table for a minute?" he asked, smiling slyly.

My eyes widened. "Chat - we're in the library-"

"Trust me," he said as he rolled backwards and flipped silently off the table.

Sighing, I did a quick look to ensure we hadn't attracted any attention and then slid below my table. Chat was there, sitting in his patient-cat stance, and holding two cups of coffee.

"I have to admit," I said as I gratefully accepted one of the cups, "this is not what I expected you wanted to do under here."

Chat put a paw to his chest and tried unsuccessfully to look innocent. "My virtue, Mademoiselle," he said, "has never been called into question."

"I suppose not," I laughed quietly as I sipped the hot beverage. Slowly, I felt some brain cells coming back online. "If you don't count last weekend at Versailles."

"_Especially_ last weekend." Chat flushed a deep crimson as he remembered, visible even in the semi-darkness below the table. "You didn't play fair, anyway," he mewled good naturedly as he sipped his own coffee.

"It's not my fault the suit doesn't come off," I said evilly.

"I might be able to change that someday," he countered, narrowing his semi-glowing masked eyes dangerously. "You've been warned."

"Regardless," I continued, trying to hide my smirk as I sipped and slid into safer territory, "the caffeine is quite welcome." I leaned forward and kissed him. "Thank you."

Chat rather smugly licked his lips. "Mmmm… chocolate, with a dash of caramel," he smiled. "Purrfectly you."

I rolled my eyes. "I've got to get back to work before you distract me right out of finishing this paper," I said as I moved back into my seat.

"All right," Chat said a bit sadly I thought. "I'll leave you be." And with a silent whisper of fabric, he was gone.

I spent another hour pounding away at the laptop before putting my head down once more, intending only to rest my eyes for a moment. The caffeine infusion had sustained me through the back half of the paper, but I was crashing, hard.

My eyes fluttered open at the gust of wind at my face; groggily, I realized I was moving along the rooftops of Paris, but in my sleep-deprived state, didn't feel that it was all that extraordinary. I closed my eyes once more and leaned against the black leather-cladded shoulder I was snuggled into and took in the comforting sandalwood scent, intrinsically knowing I was in good hands.

Or paws, as the case may be.

The golden filaments of dawn rousted me more fully some hours later; yawning and stretching, I found I was in my bedroom at the Bakery once more carefully tucked in. I leaned up on one arm, expecting to see Chat curled up on my chaise per normal, but instead saw him at my desk, the MacBook open. His tail was moving to and fro idly as he scanned the screen with his masked eyes, every now and then tapping out something on the keyboard with his claws.

"Chat?" I said, still sleepy.

"Purrincess," he replied, turning toward me and training his megawatt grin on me. "Awake at last, I see."

"What on earth are you doing?" I asked as I flipped back the covers and slid down the ladder.

"Final proof on your term paper," he shrugged. "I woke early and thought I'd take a crack at it for you."

I looked at him. "There's a password on the laptop," I said.

"I know," he smiled wider, eyes narrowing. "You might want to change it."

"How—"

"I am a cat of many talents," he laughed. "Anyway, this paper is really good. I fixed up a few grammar problems, made a few suggestions in the margin, and ensured your references were all cited properly. You turned fifteenth century French Couture into a gripping read."

"Thank you – I think," I said as I leaned in for a kiss. "You didn't have to do that, though. I was going to have Adrien proof it later." My friend and former crush had followed me to the same University, and though he was on more of a business track, he'd been taking a number of overlapping fashion and design classes with me. I presumed he was similarly hard at work on his term paper – or, knowing him, had actually finished it weeks ago.

"Oh," Chat said, his ears flattening a bit. "I'm sorry. I'd not intended to overstep—"

"It's not that, Chat," I said, swooping in to sit on his lap sideways. "This is pretty particular material. Without you being in these classes with me, you don't know what the professor is emphasizing. The beats I have to hit. You know."

Chat's ears flattened further. "I see," he said, a trace of iciness in his voice.

For some reason, I felt as though I'd insulted him. "I appreciate the help, though," I said, trying to mollify him.

"Right," he smiled weakly, but he still looked a bit hurt. "I should go," he added before kissing me one last time.

"Chat—" I started but in a blur of black fabric, he was up and out the skylight. It was perplexing, for he normally wouldn't miss an excuse to stay for breakfast; not only that, he'd failed to make his standard promise to see me later that evening.

Despite the fact he was no longer a teenager, there were times when I felt like he was.

I sighed and got ready for the day; my first class was fairly late that morning, so I grabbed a bit of breakfast and then made for the Metro. University was on the far side of the city from the Bakery, though on the Metro merely a twenty-minute trip. Nevertheless, I often had time to put the finishing touches on homework or re-read an assigned article. This morning, I popped open my paper to make some last-minute adjustments before cornering Adrien and begging him to review it.

A few pages in, I found the first note in the side column from Chat. I was about to clear it when I read it a second time and realized he'd made an astute observation; switching programs to my notebook, I found he was correct, and flipped back to my paper to adjust the blindingly obvious historical error I'd almost made. Curious, I started to scan the paper and came to the next comment, and again found Chat had quietly suggested a pretty important correction.

By the time we pulled into the station below the campus, I'd managed to get through most of his suggestions; only one was more of a matter of opinion, and he'd said as much in his note ("This could go either way, but I like your angle here and might not change it"). Grabbing my things, I hurried up the escalator to the daylight, speed-dialing Chat as I dashed up the steps.

There was a click or two when it connected, and possibly owing to still being underground, I didn't get a video chat. "Purrincess," I heard. "What's up?"

"Chat, your suggestions were brilliant," I gushed. "I'm sorry about this morning; I just-"

"Didn't think I knew anything about fashion history?" he laughed. "I did point out I was a feline of many talents."

"I stand corrected," I said. "And I'm truly sorry."

"Never judge a cat by his costume, Mari," he said softly.

"I keep making that mistake, over and over again," I replied. "And yet you are still with me."

"I can't imagine being anywhere else but by your side, Purrincess," he purred. "We're both still learning about each other, aren't we? We'll get through it."

"We will," I laughed. "Come by earlier if you can, I'll make your favorite croissants by way of apology."

"I can do that," he said, and I heard the smile in his voice. "Gotta scat."

"Love you, kitty."

"I love you more, Mari," he said sweetly before clicking off.

I paused at the top of the escalator, just to the side of the off-rushing passengers, and slid my phone back into my purse. Looking up, I spied Adrien crossing the quad toward me and waved at him.

"Hey," he smiled as he jogged over to me. "You look tired this morning."

"What else is new," I rolled my eyes. "I was up most of the night working on my paper."

"Me too," he groaned. "I enjoy this professor, but the writing is killing me. I think I nailed it, though. You?"

I paused, and then smiled. "I have a feline I did, yes."


	21. Party Doll

**Twenty-One: Party Doll**

"Lucky Charm!" I cried.

The sky above me burst into brilliant shades of red and white light, and a tube of toothpaste decked out in Ladybug spots dropped into my hands. Chat Noir was standing next to me, and put a claw tip to his chin. "Well," he teased, "I'm all in for dental hygiene. Guess we'll be brushing away this plaque."

I groaned as I rolled my eyes. "Not one of your better ones, Chat."

He smiled. "I'm in a hurry," he said, shrugging.

"Hot date?" I smiled, knowing that he was likely chomping at the bit to get to the Bakery to meet Marinette. Then I frowned, remembering that I had to go to that stupid party Alya was dragging me to.

"No, just a thing," he said somewhat coyly. "Shall we, Milady?"

Curiosity piqued, I genuinely wondered what Chat was going to do. "What kind of thing?" I asked as I followed him off the ledge we were on and toward the akuma.

Chat dropped onto an edge, perched, and turned to me, his tail animating his response. "A thing," he smiled again. "Why? Are you wanting to join me?"

"I wish," I said as I dropped over the second ledge and lowered myself down on the yo-yo. "I have a 'thing' too tonight, though I don't really want to be there."

"I hear ya," Chat said as he landed in a crouch beside me. "We could string this out a bit..." he suggested, his masked eyes dancing with merriment.

"No, Chat," I sighed, "as much as I would appreciate that. People are counting on me."

"What else is new," he chuckled as he leapt away to distract the Dentist-turned-akuma long enough for me to put together my Lucky Charm plan. I knew my focus wasn't where it needed to be when I still hadn't come up with anything as the first dot of my earrings chirped to oblivion.

"Chat," I called out, feeling the first vestige of frustration. "I could use a paw over here."

He smoothly vaulted over the akuma, narrowly avoiding the tendrils of floss it had been using to wrap up parts of Paris and landed in a crouch beside me. "Milady?" he said, concern in his masked eyes.

"I'm having trouble tonight," I said. "Nothing is coming up for me."

Chat's expression went to full-on worry. "Okay, just take a moment and breath, LB. Close your eyes-" he smacked away some tendrils of floss with his baton as I complied, "and just focus on your breathing."

I did, but felt myself starting to breath faster. It had been years since I'd panicked, but for some reason my pulse was quickening. _Damn it, _I thought. _This is the last thing I need._

Chat seemed to sense my hyperventilating and I heard the soft murmur of fabric a moment before his arms picked me up and we were airborne. I held tight and opened my eyes when I felt us land a few moments later – just as my earrings chirped again.

"Three dots," Chat said quietly, as he continued to hold me.

"We've got to get back-"

"We have time," Chat said calmly, and damn if he didn't start purring.

"Chat! We don't have-"

"Shush," he said, and he hugged me a bit more. "Close your eyes. Focus on the sound."

I wanted to protest a bit more, but did as he asked, listening to the rumbling emanating from deep within his chest. One rumble led to the next, then the next, and I felt my universe start to re-order. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and turned to him, fully back in control. "How did you know?" I asked as he released me.

"I'm a cat," he smiled. "We specialize in making people feel better. Did it work?"

"Yes," I said as I looked over his shoulder and multiple things started to light up around the akuma. I turned to him and saw his tail light up, too. "And I need your-"

"Of course you do," he said, rolling his eyes as he unbuckled his belt tail.

We made short work of the akuma and regrouped on a nearby rooftop after sending the dentist on his way and cleaning up with the Miraculous Cure. I was down to my final dot as I handed Chat back his tail. "Thank you," I said.

"I'll always have your beautiful back, Milady," he grinned slyly, narrowly avoiding my requisite yo-yo to the head. "But, alas, I need to scat," he added as his ring chirped and a second pad disappeared. "I'll be honest, I'm looking forward to whenever we grow up enough that we don't have to worry about this five-minute timer."

"Maybe it's when we turn twenty-one," I said idly before realizing I'd revealed something.

"One can hope," Chat smiled as he leapt away. "Cats hate training wheels..."

"As do bugs," I laughed as I lowered myself into a nearby alley and de-transformed, then fished a cookie out of my purse for Tikki. "We're gonna be late," I complained. "Do you think Alya will hate me for life if I don't go?"

"No, but you could use the break, Marinette," my constant companion chimed at me. "You've run yourself ragged this semester."

I sighed. "I'll need to lean on Ladybug to get there quickly," I said. "Do you mind?"

"No," she laughed as she polished off her macaroon.

Not long after, I descended on my yo-yo into a side alley by the club hosting the party that evening and dropped my transformation once more. I stepped out onto the sidewalk and stared at the awning over the main entrance and dithered; I really, really, really didn't want to go to this party. Two years into my college experience, I'd managed to avoid most of these alcohol-infused events, but I'd promised Alya I'd be at this one despite the mountain of work waiting for me back home. Supporting Nino's budding music career took precedence, of course, but I also felt a little exposed since my normal plus one wouldn't be able to attend.

Thoughts of Chat made me smile, for a part of me could easily see him at a party such as this. For a fraction of a second, I thought about calling him to beg him to attend, but we'd been amazingly careful with our relationship and now, five years in, had yet to appear as a couple even on the Ladyblog. It was equally as hard for me to fathom I'd managed to keep from telling him I was Ladybug.

Sighing, I waited for a break in the traffic to dart across the street and up the steps to the club. The inside was packed with students, many of whom I didn't know; a few familiar faces smiled at me, mostly from my days at Lycée or Dupont, but that was the extent of it. Pushing through the crowd, I ultimately found my best friend off to the side with a good view of her fiancé on the small raised dais.

"Hey girl," Alya said, leaning to my ear to be heard over the noise. "Alone?" she asked as she hugged me.

"Yeah," I said. "My boyfriend couldn't make it."

Alya snorted. "I'm started to doubt you have one, Mari," she laughed. "No one has ever seen him."

"He's kind of high profile," I smiled. "He prefers to keep us in the shadows."

She rolled her eyes. "Right," she laughed again.

"It's true!" I said defensively, feeling my face heat up slightly.

"I believe you," she said as her eyes flipped to something over my shoulder. "But that doesn't mean you can't have some fun tonight."

"Alya," I said, recognizing that gleam in her eye. "Look-"

"Adrien!" Alya cried, waving frantically.

Trying hard not to smack my best friend, I turned to see the supermodel work his way through the crowd. Despite how easily he handled people as he was recognized, I could tell he was not comfortable being at the party, either.

"Hey Princ—Marinette," Adrien said as he leaned down and gave me the traditional French air kiss. "Alya! How's that fiancé of yours doing?"

Whatever Alya said was lost, for I was nearly certain Adrien had been on the cusp of calling me _Princess_. But given the noise at the party, I couldn't be sure. I caught Adrien's attention as he was talking with Alya and saw him arch an eyebrow at my look.

_Princess?_ I thought again. _Only Chat calls me-_

"Good party?" he asked, and I realized Alya had vanished. "I just got here, had a nasty photo shoot this afternoon."

"I don't know," I replied, trying to talk over the music. "I've only been here a short while, too," I added as I looked up at Nino. "And as much as I love Nino, parties just aren't my thing."

"Me either," he concurred. He held my eyes, and for a moment, I thought he was going to say something else; I found myself lost in those emerald eyes of his, which I was suddenly realizing were nearly the same color at Chat's. Adrien blinked and turned back toward Nino, but in a smooth movement, he gently put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.

I knew I should have felt a bit of shock at this unusual intimacy from my longtime friend, and yet, I didn't; I instead found myself leaning into him, almost as if it was something I had done regularly. It was a comforting move, almost as if he'd sensed I wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment. Waves of comfort washed over me, and for the first time since I'd arrived, I started to relax.

It didn't last, of course, for Alya reappeared with two red cups for us. Her expression was wicked, as if getting the two of us together had been part of her master plan from the beginning. Adrien quickly dropped his arm as she handed us the cups.

"Chloe is here," Alya said over the din.

"I thought she was in New York?" Adrien asked as he started to scan the room.

"She's visiting her dad," Alya said. "It must not be going well, though," she added. "She's already three sheets to the wind, and that bottle of Dom Perignon she's swigging from now won't improve her prospects much." Alya frowned a bit and finished with: "In the twenty minutes she's been here, she's managed to insult just about everyone."

I heard Adrien groan, nearly in time with my own. Like me, he had to have come to the same conclusion: an upset Chloe nearly always seemed to spawn an akuma. It felt wise for me to sneak out and return as Ladybug, just in case. I started to fumble with my purse for my phone.

"Is it that late?" I heard Adrien say. "I really need to go."

"You just got here!" Alya cried before her eyes turned to me and then down to the phone I was clutching in my hands. "Let me guess. You're leaving, too?"

"Maman just texted," I said. "They have a big order at the Bakery and need my help."

"Seriously?" Alya started, but Adrien had already disappeared into the crowd.

As my best friend searched for him in vain, I took the opportunity to dash toward a door just beside where we'd been standing. Quickly closing it behind me, I found I was on the staircase to the balcony that ringed the event space. I was alone, so I called for Tikki and was fully transformed by the time I reached the velvet rimmed railing. Peering over the edge, I started to search for the blonde head of Chloe a fraction of a second before Chat dropped out of the ceiling and into a crouch beside me.

"Great minds?" I laughed as he similarly scanned the crowd below. "I heard Chloe was back in town."

"You must have picked up on my deepest desire to see you this evening, Milady," Chat said with a smile. "But yes, Chloe is down there. Somewhere."

"I wonder-" I started, but didn't finish.

A loud crash issued from the small table that had been serving drinks and we both turned toward it. Chloe had upended it with one hand, and the bartender was standing there, soaked by whatever had been on the counter at the time. Chat's feline ears had pivoted and I could see he was able to hear whatever insults Chloe appeared to be hurling at the bartender.

"Uh…" Chat said. "Maybe we should have an intervention?"

"Good idea," I agreed, but before we could hurdle the balcony, a second crash issued from the far side of the room, followed by the telltale requisite screaming.

I locked eyes with Chat. Our akuma had appeared.

* * *

After rescuing the undergrad that had come under the spell of Hawkmoth and ensuring he was safely on the way home, we loaded a passed-out Chloe into a second taxi headed toward Le Grand Hotel. She looked so peaceful in repose, it was hard to imagine she'd been the key ingredient in far more akumas than I cared to count.

My earrings were chirping as I turned to Chat and saw his ring had lost its third pad. "And here I was hoping we'd be able to spend more time together this evening," he grinned his Chesire grin at me.

"I thought you already had a girlfriend," I teased.

"I do," Chat replied as he extended the baton and leaned on it with a dreamy expression. "I'm sad to say, my days of flirting with you are over, Milady."

"I never thought I'd see the day," I said, chuckling.

"And what would that be?" Chat was now leaning an elbow on the top of his baton, chin in hand.

"You. Giving up on me," I said good naturedly as I readied my yo-yo.

Chat surprised me and leaned his baton toward me, managing to plant a kiss on my exposed cheek. "How will you _ever_ survive?" he teased.

"Oh, I suspect I'll find a way…" I laughed as I shot my yo-yo out into the night and left my bemused kitty behind.

I had just enough time to get to an alleyway a few blocks from the Bakery before dropping my transformation and feeding Tikki my last macaroon. I walked the final distance under the streetlights, and thinking of something Chat had once told me, I chanced to look up at one only to see my wildly grinning kitty perched on the crossarm.

"How long have you been following me?" I asked, a bit concerned that he might have caught me transforming.

"I just got here," he laughed as he swung around the pole and slid down, landing gently next to me. "Ladybug and I had to break up a party crasher a few blocks from here, so I thought I'd swing by and see how your evening had gone."

"Better than yours," I said. "I was at a party myself, but didn't want to be there," I said honestly. "I told a tiny white lie to my friends to get out of it."

I could see his wide masked emerald eyes were dancing. "Really, Purrincess," he said with mock horror. "Clearly this black cat has been rubbing off on you."

"Maybe," I said as I hooked an arm through his. "Come on, let's see if we can rustle up something to eat."

"Meowonderful," he said as he extended his baton into a walking cane and elegantly escorted me home. "Akumas always make me hungry."

"I know," I smiled. _As they do for me, too._


	22. Dots

Twenty-Two: Dots

A few nights later, I found myself staring at the ceiling of my bedroom. Despite my best efforts, I kept replaying that evening Chloe spawned the akuma and the small snippet of conversation I had shared with Adrien. The longer I thought about it, the more convinced I was becoming that Adrien _had_ actually started to call me Princess. He'd never done that before, nor had we hung out enough that we'd moved to the "pet names" phase of our relationship. And he didn't strike me as someone who would even _use_ a pet name with someone, no matter how well he knew them; it would go against his breeding, his fine-tuned gentlemanly manners.

But Chat would. And Chat had repeatedly told me his alter-ego wasn't really him per se.

Tikki was hovering next to me, having seen I was awake. "What's troubling you, Marinette?" she asked sweetly.

I sighed. "I think my brain is trying to connect dots that my subconscious doesn't want connected."

Tikki settled in on the pillow next to me, her wide eyes looking thoughtful. "What dots?"

"I... think I know who Chat Noir is," I said. Hearing myself actually say the words seemed to crystalize the turmoil in my brain.

My little kwami smiled at me. "I'm not surprised," she laughed melodically. "Chat's not been very careful as of late."

I sat up. "You told me before that you didn't know who he was," I accused.

Tikki nodded. "I didn't for a long time," she said. "But found out for sure the first time we swapped holders."

I nodded, remembering that day years ago at the Trocadero; it was the last time I'd ever taken off the earrings (willingly), but the memory had me smiling. Chat had not started off well as Mister Bug but had come through in the end. We'd had to swap kwamis a few times since – enough that he was becoming a master at the Lucky Charm. But I had never grown comfortable handing Tikki off to someone else – even if it _was_ my partner.

Then another thought hit. Blond hair... green eyes... _amazing_ body... sure, I'd seen Chat beneath that polka-dotted mask he'd been wearing as Mister Bug, but looking back at it now...

"Tikki, it's Adrien." I looked at her for confirmation. "Adrien is Chat, isn't he?"

"You know I can't tell you anything," she said sweetly. "And besides, with Chat dating you, it's more important than ever that you keep your identities secret."

"Is it?" I said softly. "Do you think he knows who Ladybug is?"

"No," Tikki said with a broader smile. "From what Plagg has told me, he's taken his pledge to you – as Ladybug – very seriously, and intentionally ignores any clues to your identity." She put a tiny arm to my hand. "He's a smart cat, though; sooner or later, the same thing will happen and he'll see something in Ladybug's actions that will trigger a connection he can't deny any longer."

I thought about that. "Ladybug has been pretty steadfast in not wanting Chat to reveal himself, too."

"Yes," Tikki said. "And he'll always take his cues from her, Marinette." She paused, her eyes twinkling. "Always."

I threw my head back on the pillow. "What do I do, Tikki?" I asked. "I've been torn for a while about revealing ourselves to each other, but the original reason still remains. As long as Hawkmoth is out there, it would be safer..." I trailed off.

Why _was_ it safer for us to hide our alter-egos from each other?

Other than being a longstanding rule as a condition of being a holder, it occurred to me it was far more important for us to stay hidden from Hawkmoth. For he was the one who'd be able to use the knowledge of our true identities to exert any number of pressure points upon us, from family members to friends. The same sort of diabolical choice Chat had faced a while back during the Lycée attack – the one where he'd thought Marinette was in danger.

I found myself smiling a bit, for it suddenly made more sense why Adrien had been so upset.

The fact that the two of us had been together for more than eight years now and had successfully managed to dance around each other's identities despite likely having interacted with each other as civilians spoke volumes to our ability to handle each other's secret. And if Chat and I were incapable of that level of trust... well, I didn't think it would bode well for the long-term loving relationship I'd envisioned for the two of us.

I turned back to my kwami. "Is it bad that I want to know – I want to confirm my suspicion?"

Tikki's expression grew concerned. "It's been my experience that my holders generally want to know who their partner is," she started. "You've worked with Chat now for almost a decade. That's a long time to keep yourself hidden from someone you love."

I nodded, for my thoughts were running along the same lines.

"But I advise caution," Tikki continued. "Suspecting and knowing are two different things entirely, and most importantly, should either of you get exposed publicly, you'll have to give up your Miraculous." She hugged my arm again. "I'd hate to say goodbye to you, Marinette," she said softly.

I hugged my kwami. "Same here, Tikki."

I leaned back on the pillow again, my thoughts filled with how to proceed; sleep finally came, and when I awoke, I knew in my heart I was close to unmasking my kitty. The question remained on how best to confirm my hypothesis, or if, as Tikki had suggested, I was more comfortable with just the suspicion. Sitting up in my bed, I decided I wanted to know.

For the first time since I'd met Chat, I desperately wanted to know.

It being Saturday, I expected Chat to arrive a little after mid-morning; he had an endearing tendency to appear just as my croissants were coming out of the oven. Sliding down my ladder, I considered my options. The devil in me wanted to get him to reveal himself first, allowing me to harangue him a bit before I revealed myself to him; knowing that was patently unfair added to its attraction, along with the added bonus of seeing Chat flustered. He looked so cute when he blushed. But how to do it?

Thinking as I went about getting ready for the day, I considered baking catnip into the croissants, for I'd seen how pliable he'd become when an akuma had used it against him. To his credit, not only had he helped me defeat the akuma while under the influence, he'd managed to keep from revealing himself even then. It also went without saying that drugging him would be a betrayal on multiple levels.

I was still up to my eyebrows in plots and planning when I heard the telltale rubbery thump on my roof. Smiling, I quickly went up the ladder and popped open the skylight. Chat was perched on my railing, back to the skylight; his tail was casually curled into a question mark. "Kitty?" I called out.

"Hey Purrincess," he said, his tail somehow twisting into a heart shape as he turned to look at me over his shoulder. "You were pretty quiet down there – I thought you were still sleeping."

My breath caught as I saw the love blazing from his eyes; it was so pure, so genuine, waves of guilt washed over me for even thinking up a partial plan for trying to confirm his alter-ego. All the reasons I'd used to convince myself I wanted to know – _needed_ to know – who he really was evaporated into the early morning sunshine. For perched in front of me was truly the man I loved, mask notwithstanding.

He loved me for who I was, and I had confirmation in my own heart that I loved him exactly the same way. Knowing who was under those insanely cute feline ears and mask wouldn't change a thing about how I felt. I blinked back tears, upset that I'd even started down this pathway.

Chat picked up on my welling emotions and in a blur had pulled me out of the skylight and into a hug.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, rocking me slightly as he gently began to purr. "It's okay, whatever it is. I'm here."

_I'm feeling guilty, _I thought as I started to sob into his costumed shoulder. _I wanted to unmask you_. _Desperately_.

"You _what_?" Chat exclaimed, masked eyes flying wide as he pulled back slightly; his purring had stopped rather abruptly.

"Did I say that out loud?" I said, sobbing slightly.

"Yeah," he replied, then narrowed his masked eyes. "_How_ desperate?"

I could feel my face flaming. "Very," I answered quietly.

"What is this all about?" he asked, running a claw through my hair.

"I... I think you tipped your hand to me a few nights ago," I said, deciding that honesty might be the best policy here. "Your alter-ego, that is."

Chat was good. _Really_ good, for the slight change in his facial expression was so slight, it could easily have been overlooked. But I'd dated him for five years now, and knew every look in his book. "Really," he said, keeping his voice light. But his eyes showed something new.

Fear. Like he knew he'd slipped up.

_Merde._ "Accidentally," I added quickly, plowing onward despite my pounding heart.

"The college party?" he asked with a wry smile.

"Yes. The one where Chloe akumatized the student."

Chat arched a masked eyebrow. "It's not a secret I was there," he said carefully, "since I defeated it. With Ladybug. We'd both found out that Chloe was attending, and, shall we say, being less than sociable."

"That she was. And the two of you made short work of the akuma."

"We did," he said, but for some reason his arched masked eyebrow went higher.

_Oh. Oh, right. Oh-!_

"I was there earlier but left," I quickly added, trying to cover my mistake.

"Before the akuma attack, then," he said, face impassive.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Alya told me every detail afterward, of course. And you found me later on my way back to the Bakery."

He nodded. "So... let me get this straight. You think I was there earlier? As my civilian self?"

"Yes," I said.

"And I said something? Or did something that makes you think I revealed myself?"

"Yes."

Chat let me go and turned back to the railing; he put his paws against the wrought iron and looked down, his tail swishing back and forth as he took a moment to consider what I'd said. "Do you love me?" he asked.

"With all of my heart, Chat," I replied without hesitation.

He turned back to me. "I love you with every ounce of my soul, Princess," he said, his wide feline eyes locked on mine. Slowly, he walked over to me and put a paw on each shoulder. "I can't lie to you. If you ask me to tell you who I am under the mask, I'll do it. Even if it means breaking Ladybug's Golden Rule – and giving up being Chat Noir."

I looked at him, and gazed deeply into those emerald eyes of his. I was well aware of what it meant for him to be Chat, and if he was truly who I suspected him to be, I understood it even further now. The very fact he was willing to give _all _of it up for me was heartbreaking all by itself; the demonstration of his love, though, meant the world to me.

I swallowed. "Are you…" I started, eyes searching his.

He waited, an expectant half smile on his face.

Multiple images flashed through my brain, quiet moments with Chat, study sessions with Adrien; the two were so very different from each other, and yet they weren't. In my heart, though, I realized I loved him so much that I couldn't take Chat away from him. Even if I knew in that singular, spectacular moment I'd trust him with every last secret I had.

"…are you…"

I thought back to every single moment when Chat had appeared right when I needed him, whether it was as Marinette or as Ladybug. I knew if I considered it further, I'd connect the final dots, and knowing _that_ made me realize I didn't need to. Tikki was right. Suspecting would do just fine.

I smiled at Chat. "Are you Luka Couffaine?" I asked, knowing full well that Luka _hadn't_ been at the party.

Chat looked startled for a moment – clearly, based on how his feline ears stood straight up, that wasn't what he was expecting, and it was good to know I could still surprise him. Then he smiled, and looked a bit relieved. "No, Princess," he said happily. "I am most definitely _not_ Luka. But I am flattered that you think I could be." Chat pulled me into a hug. "Besides, he's a bit taller than I am."

"I hadn't noticed," I lied as I leaned into his black-leather-cladded chest.

"And thanks for the heads up," he said, his purring starting up again. "I'll remind my alter-ego to be a bit more circumspect in the future."

"I'm sure you will," I laughed. "And I promise no more guessing. At least," I said as I looked up into his loving eyes, "for a while. Or until you do something stupid."

"Me?" he asked in mock seriousness. "Do something stupid?"

"Exactly," I smiled as I settled back into my boyfriend.

_I love you, Kitty,_ I thought to myself. _All of you. Just the way you are. _


	23. A Purrfect Plan

Twenty-Three: A Purrfect Plan

Chat held out the keys.

"I don't expect an answer tonight, and it's totally okay for you to say 'Thanks, Chat, but I'll pass.'" I watched as his masked green eyes searched mine from where he was perched on the coffee table, hoping to get a sense of where I stood on his miraculous, amazingly insane but totally purrfect plan. "You know I love you," he said softly, "and I just want you to be happy. That's it. Nothing else."

I considered my boyfriend and partner. Was it only a few days ago I'd been complaining about trying to find a place to live after graduating from University, somewhere close to my new job at Chateau Le Blanc? Chat had appeared on my balcony one evening and seen me looking through property listings while decrying the expense, and the likely chance I'd have to live quite far, far away from both my parents and my job. It wasn't a prospect I'd been happy with, and true to form, Chat had decided to solve the problem.

We'd landed on the generous balcony outside the suite he'd designated as mine; it was already furnished tastefully in a style I couldn't have picked better, proving once more just how well my kitty knew me. And the kitchen – he'd truly paid attention during all of those hours we'd spent together in the Bakery, as I'd taken him from boiling water to making a full holiday dinner. My thoughtful kitty had, well, thought of everything, right down to the mini design studio and brand new iMac sitting in the corner of the living room.

And somehow, he'd managed to pay for it all himself. Claiming his alter-ego had come into some one-time cash, he'd used it to secure the apartment; his terms were amazingly simple and pure Chat. He expected me to become a top fashion designer, and though I wasn't entirely sure I was up to the task, his faith in me at least made it _feel_possible. Then, he made it clear that I could start paying my way once my cash flow situation improved (knowing, of course, that could be years) - and not a moment sooner. His feline reasoning was that he wanted me to be able to focus on my career without worrying about my living arrangements.

The final condition? He would be my roommate, using the suite on the opposite side of the apartment. That last had the added twist that he'd remain transformed – stay as Chat, essentially – while living with me. He had his own balcony so he'd be able to come and go as needed for his superhero duties; what he might not have realized was _my_ balcony was similarly shielded and would allow for my own secret escapes.

I looked around the space again, and especially the wide floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Eiffel Tower; Chat had cleverly taken me to check out the apartment in the early evening, so the Tower was fully lit in the distance. I turned back to my boyfriend, and put my hand to his face, cupping the side of his mask. Almost like a true cat, he closed his eyes and leaned slightly into my touch and I smiled. Some would say it was completely nuts to move in with a masked feline – someone who was intentionally hiding their identity from the world in general, and to a lesser extent, myself in particular. They would be wrong, for I knew _exactly_ who was making the offer, and who I was moving in with.

Chat had redoubled his efforts to mask his true identity, and though I'd interacted with... well, his alter-ego... regularly through our final two years at University, he'd gone to great lengths to keep the façade up and bar the two personas from comingling. Living together would be a far more difficult task than I thought he was anticipating, but I was also preparing to smooth the experience a bit, too. Tikki had assured me that she and Plagg were committed to making it work, though a part of me wondered if she was, herself, secretly excited to be able to spend her downtime with her partner.

As I started to smile, I ran my finger along the edge of his mask. "When do we move in?" I asked as I took the set of keys from his paw.

Chat let out the breath he'd been holding. "As soon as you want. I'm already here," he laughed, indicating his costume, "since I didn't have a lot of things to unpack."

He paused. "I'm happy to come with you to break the news to your parents."

"I'm not sure that would be helpful," I smiled. "I'll have enough trouble telling them I'm moving in with a guy let alone one who runs around in a cat costume."

Chat sat back. "They know me, though," he pouted.

"I'm pulling your paw, Chat," I replied with a warm smile. "But I can handle that on my own."

We both stood up – me from the insanely comfortable love seat (I'd noticed it was purrfect for a cat to curl into his mistress) and took one last, long look around the space. I knew my boyfriend was all grown up now, muscles and all, but damn, I'd hooked myself one thoughtful kitty. It was hard to imagine I'd nearly thrown it all away multiple times in those early years; it was only through the persistence of my feline boyfriend that we were standing here, together.

And I couldn't be happier.

"Take me back?" I asked.

"Absolutely," he said, before pausing. His masked emerald eyes took on a look of concern. "Is this what you want, truly?" he asked. "I'm not kidding – it's okay for you to tell me to go jump in the Seine."

I searched his eyes and realized he was worried that he was pressuring me in some way to accept his offer; I knew him better than that, of course, but it was still endearing to see him so concerned. I moved toward him. "Let me answer that, Chat," I said.

Slowly, _exquisitely_ slowly, I pulled him toward me by his bell, my blue eyes locked to his masked green, then slowly, oh-so-slowly down to my lips. I touched my lips to his, gently at first, then blooming into a deep, passionate kiss that left both of us breathing hard when we parted.

"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" Chat said happily.


	24. Wrapping Up, Moving On

**Twenty-Four: Wrapping Up, Moving On**

"I'm moving in with Chat."

My parents were sitting on the sofa opposite from me and I gauged their expressions as I dropped my little bombshell on them. Maman just smiled, but I could see Papa's face cycle through all of the normal fatherly emotions; I wasn't surprised that he was the first to speak after a long silence.

"You don't know who he is," he objected.

"I do," I smiled. "He's Chat Noir."

"That's not what I meant," he continued. "You're seriously thinking of moving in with a stranger?"

"He's anything but," I replied. "I know him inside and out. Whoever is under the mask is beside the point. I love him."

Papa looked to Maman. "This is insane. You're welcome to stay here until you can afford—"

"I'm splitting the expenses with Chat," I said, which wasn't strictly true. He was aware that my gig at Chateau Le Blanc was as an entry-level designer and had made the deal that he'd pick up the expenses on the apartment until I was ready to share the load. The fact that he'd even purchased the apartment for us, close to where I'd be working, was something I felt I should tactfully avoid telling my parents.

"But he's keeping secrets from you!" my father objected, stronger this time.

That made me smile. "We all have secrets," I said, catching my mother's eye. "And we've made it work this long."

"But—"

"We're happy for you, dear," Maman said as she put a hand to my father's thigh. "_Both_ of us," she added with a meaningful glance at Papa. "You know how we feel about Chat. The two of you are a good match, even if he has to spend his nights keeping the city safe."

"That part won't be forever," I said with more assurance than I felt. Hawkmoth had proved to be rather resilient; more than ten years now and we'd only come close a few times to shutting him down. "When it's over, he'll be able to tell me who he truly is."

"Good," Maman said.

The three of us stood and hugged, though I could feel Papa was still unconvinced. But Maman had winked at me as we pulled apart, so I knew as I climbed the steps back to my bedroom, she would continue to work on Papa such that he'd be completely on board by moving day. Back in my bedroom, I stood just beyond the trap door and looked around at the space that had been mine from the first moment I could remember.

There were so many memories, first of family and friends, then later, of course, with Chat. My eyes went to the partially packed up computer desk, and the bump on the head that had caused – and the first of many times when Chat had been there to see me through the pain. Or the computer itself, where I'd beaten my boyfriend too many times to enumerate, though lately I'd started to wonder if Chat had been holding back; I made a mental promise to ensure he played to the level moving forward.

For one of the last times, I heard the rubbery thump on the roof above me, and I smiled with just a touch of melancholy. Graduation was in a day or so, and after that I'd be at the new apartment. Despite how wonderful our new spot was, I had to admit I'd grown quite fond of listening for my kitty to arrive. I was sure we'd come up with some new traditions, but for the moment, I committed the memory to my personal archive to be replayed later.

I climbed the ladder and pushed open the skylight; to my surprise, Chat wasn't perched on the railing or atop the chimney. Instead, he was lounging on my chaise, claws laced behind his feline mane and cat-ate-the-canary smile plastered on his face. Two steps and I'd slid into his waiting arms.

"What did you do?" I asked as I snuggled into him. The two of us had grown enough that there was little space for us on the chaise, and it groaned a bit beneath us.

"My alter-ego had his first day at work today," he said, smiling.

I looked at him, for I was reasonably certain his alter-ego was walking with me at Graduation. Still, I'd kept my own personal promise to keep my suspicions to myself until we were _both_ ready for the next phase of our relationship. Moving in together would be a healthy test for us. "Really?"

"Yep. It was... exceptional. And I am looking forward to the challenge."

"Good, I think," I said, snuggling my head back down into his black-leather-cladded chest. I had to admit, the texture of his costume was strangely alluring; despite knowing what he was going to be demanding of Plagg in order to pull off our new living arrangements, I was rather guiltily looking forward to more moments like this on that new love seat of ours.

As soon as it was practicable, I'd figure out some way to allow Chat to let Plagg rest. It would be my first order of business, in fact.

"That calls for a celebration," I said. "How about some Belgian chocolate croissants?"

"Absolutely!" Chat purred.

"Enjoy it while you can," I pointed out, "for they won't be as easy to obtain once we are at the apartment."

Chat looked at me askance. "You forget, Purrincess, how quickly I can get here via rooftop."

"I hadn't," I laughed. "I was rather refurring to how I will be commanding your feline attention so fully, you'll not have time to escape for baked goods."

His purring ratcheted up another notch. "That's a tall order, Purrincess," he laughed. "Are you sure you're up to the task?"

Leaning into some Ladybug skills, I flipped around and straddled his chest, pinning his paws over his feline ears. His masked eyes shot wide open, and though I was well aware he could easily throw me across the rooftop patio, he instead opted for happy resignation as I lowered my lips to his.

"This is just a taste," I said in one of the brief moments I pulled away from him. "What do you think?"

He answered by leaning up and rubbing his masked nose against mine. "I'd like to order the whole meal, then," he breathed somewhat heavily. His masked eyes danced merrily. "With _all_ of the trimmings."

I smiled wickedly I slowly moved my lips back to his. This relationship – this man, really – was my entire world; I didn't exactly know how it would all play out, but I was comfortable in my certainty that I wanted to be nowhere else but by the side of this overgrown kitty. He held my heart in his paws, and I couldn't be happier.

"I believe we can accommodate your request, Monsieur Chat."

"Purrrrrfect," he breathed as he closed his masked eyes and gave himself over to me completely.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks for following along on my first Marinette POV story! If you want to find out how it works out for these two in that new apartment, check out my other story, _Roommates_.**


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